


fig and sparrow

by provisionl3



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: All The Tropes, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Angst, Barista Harry Styles, Christmas Party, Cottagecore, First Dates, Fluff, Harry Styles Loves Louis Tomlinson, Louis Tomlinson Loves Harry Styles, M/M, Mental Illness, Mutual Pining, Party Animal Louis Tomlinson, Slow Burn, all the cliches, domestic larry fluff?, harry is a cottagecore education major, louis is a bad boy english major, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:53:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 35,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29044914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/provisionl3/pseuds/provisionl3
Summary: louis is a third-year student and a well-known member of the manchester party scene. he loves to drink, dance, and pick up girls. whilst working on a big assignment, he finds himself frequenting a hipster coffee shop downtown. harry is a shy first-year student who works nearly full time at the coffee shop. he loves his job and his customers, but one stands out in particular. although he is shy, a spark of confidence leads to a conversation with the tattooed boy who sits in the corner of the shop most nights.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	1. tuesday, december 15

Louis was surrounded by the sound of coffee beans being ground and the soft lull of a pretentious indie song as he sat in his usual leather chair in Fig and Sparrow, a coffee shop he had come to frequent. There was nothing special about the shop, really. Mediocre coffee, mediocre music, mediocre atmosphere in general. Except for one thing. A tall boy with curly brown hair and a few beads of sweat on his forehead looked over the counter. He spent nearly every day in the shop, steaming milk and misspelling customers' names just for the fun of it. From the first day he walked into the small, fragrant building, Louis was unable to keep his eye off of the boy. Pinned to the barista's black apron was a crooked name tag with a sloppy "H" scrawled across it in white chalk marker.

H used the back of his hand to wipe his forehead as he smiled at the customer standing in front of the counter. His green eyes were kind and his smile was warm, but Louis could tell that he was ready for his shift to be over. The shop opened at 5 a.m. and it was currently around 5 p.m., and creepily enough, Louis knew that H had been there all day. Louis himself had been there for quite some time, half working on an essay with an upcoming deadline and half studying the curly-haired barista. The ceramic mug that sat beside his laptop was nearing empty for the fourth time in his work session. Before he had even completed his thought about needing another Yorkshire tea, he was interrupted by a familiar voice from across the shop.

"Another tea?" H called, grinning slightly.

Louis looked up, not knowing who he was referring to. "Who, me?" He responded, looking around to find that he was the only person left sitting in the shop. His face turned red as H laughed a little and nodded.

"Another Yorkshire with a splash of milk? No sugars, yeah?" He suggested, readjusting the strings of his apron before adding, "I figured I would ask before my shift ends. Wouldn't want to leave you thirsty."

Louis' face felt even warmer as he nodded, an embarrassed smile spreading slowly across his cheeks as he realized that H had his order memorized. He felt special for a fraction of a second before he remembered that he had ordered the same thing every single day for the whole term; of course he had it memorized. With Louis' nod, H whisked off to start the drink with a little bounce in his step. Louis admired him from behind, watching the younger boy work and getting lost in his thoughts again. He only realized that he was staring when H turned around, holding the finished drink. Louis' eyes quickly darted away as he stood up to go retrieve it, but H had already begun to approach the table. Another barista had appeared to take his spot and he was headed towards Louis, his apron already untied.

"Here you are... This one is on me," H said warmly, setting the mug on the table and grabbing the empty one. Louis smiled and raised an eyebrow at the boy as he went to the back to put the dirty mug with the rest of the dishes. A few minutes after the boy disappeared into the back, he walked out once again wearing his coat and looking down at his phone. He was obviously headed out as he had said earlier, but Louis couldn't stop himself from grabbing at the boy's arm as he walked past. H looked up, surprised at the contact but his face softened when he saw Louis.

"I didn't get to say thank you... For the tea, I mean," Louis said, making H blush a little. He nodded softly in reply, smiling.

"Of course. Have a good evening, love. See you in the morning?" H said, raising his eyebrow slightly.

Louis smiled and nodded, "I've not gotten very far on this essay, so I'll be here."

H smiled and nodded, giving a small "good luck" as he started towards the door. Looking out of the window, Louis noticed the snowflakes that had started to fall. It was mid-December and snow was not uncommon in Manchester this time of year. He didn't even get the chance to speak before H began to walk off into the snowy evening.

Dark had fallen early and it felt much later than it really was. Louis figured he should probably head out as well, but he didn't want to seem even weirder than he really was. He watched as H's tall, slender frame disappeared into the slurry of snowflakes. Louis' heart dropped a bit. H walking alone in the cold made him feel terrible, and before he could make the decision, his body went on autopilot to begin packing his belongings into his bag and heading out to his car. Turning his key and cranking up the heat, Louis began to drive in the direction that H had walked off in. The snow was beginning to pick up, the roads had begun to become slick and after a minute or two of driving, Louis caught up with H. His brown hair was full of big snowflakes and he had his coat wrapped tightly around himself. Louis pulled his car to a stop next to H, rolling his window down to holler at the boy.

"Hey, do you need a ride?" He shouted, making H jump a bit. His head turned quickly and he looked at Louis with fright before squinting to see who he was. When he recognized Louis, the fear was quickly replaced with a smile.

"Louis! You nearly scared me to death!" H grinned, walking up to the car. The boy was visibly shivering and his nose was cherry red from the nipping wind. Louis' heart skipped a little when H spoke his name. But, the realization quickly came to him that the barista had scribbled his name on to-go cups almost daily. He shook off his thoughts and smiled at H.

"I'm sorry, it's just so cold out... You could freeze out here! Hop in, I'll take you home," Louis said, unlocking the car door before even waiting for an answer. H looked hesitant before nodding slowly, pulling the door open. He sat in the seat and placed his messenger bag at his feet, buckling the seatbelt with his frigid hands. Louis watched him with a soft smile before asking, "So, where am I takin' ya?" H's face managed to get even redder when he looked down at his fingers, fidgeting with a ring.

"Oh, my mum's house. About 3 blocks from here," he said, obviously embarrassed. To Louis, it was obvious that H was younger than him. He had round cheeks and no facial hair, giving him a baby-face look. Louis, on the other hand, was stubbly and muscly from years of playing football. He was a third-year student at the University of Manchester but could pass for older, but H was very obviously a first year. Louis nodded and smiled softly, sensing the younger boy's embarrassment as he started to drive. The car was filled with an awkward silence as they drove, making the occasional turn with H giving Louis directions. Eventually, Louis spoke up,

"So, do you go to school?"

H nodded a bit, finally looking up from his hands.

"Yeah, I do... I just started this semester... Do you?" He responded, looking to Louis in the dark car. Louis smiled, glancing over at him.

"Yeah, I'm a third-year studying English. What do you study?" Louis asked as they made the final turn towards H's house. H leaned down to collect his bag from the floorboard, his speech a bit muffled as he answered,

"Education. I want to teach primary school," His answer made Louis' heart swell because it was the cutest possible answer he could've expected. H popped back up, clutching his bag as the car rolled to a stop. He smiled at Louis, who was already beaming at him. His face, no longer flushed from the cold air, became pink once more. He hid behind his hair as he opened the door, letting a rush of snowy wind into the vehicle and saying a quick goodbye.

"See you tomorrow, Louis... Thank you for the ride." H said through a smile, pushing a curl behind his ear. Louis nodded and smiled back at him, one wrist draped over the steering wheel and the other arm stretched over the passenger seat.

"Of course, H... See ya then, love." His reply made Harry giggle at the use of his nickname. The curly-headed boy closed the car door, waved, turned on his heel, and disappeared into the warmly lit house a few steps up the sidewalk. Louis watched the boy in awe before slumping into the car seat. He knew he was in deep, and he didn't even know the boy's whole name.

After collecting himself, he started the drive to his flat. It was only a ten-minute drive, but with the number of thoughts running through his mind, it blew by as if it took seconds. He parked his car, locked it, and pulled up his hood before hustling up to the front door of his complex. Louis could not get H out of his mind; the way he spoke, the way he smiled, and the way he looked with snowflakes nestled in his eyelashes. He shook the thoughts from his head and pushed his key into the lock, letting himself into the flat. The quiet hallway gave way to the loud kitchen where Liam, Louis' flatmate and childhood best friend, and Niall, Liam's roommate from his first year at University, were bantering and attempting to prepare dinner. The jingling of Louis' keys in the lock caught their attention and they looked to Louis, who pulled off his snowy jacket to hang in the closet. Liam smiled and pointed to Louis with a wooden spoon as a pot on the stove released a cloud of steam as Niall pulled off the lid.

"Mate! Where have you been? It's a blizzard out there!" Liam called, going back to his place at the stove, shooing Niall away. Louis sighed a little, slipping his shoes off and leaving them on the mat next to the door.

"Sorry, mate. Didn't know my essay would take so long. I had to give a friend a lift home. What's for dinner?" Louis said, subtly trying to change the subject.

"Spaghetti. Niall has been craving it and he's helpless in the kitchen. Sound good to you?" Liam responded and laughed a little as Niall elbowed him in the side. Louis forced a laugh and nodded, grabbing a beer from the fridge. He figured he had enough caffeine for the night, might as well start in with the alcohol. Turning on a football match, he attempted to keep the green-eyed barista off of his mind. A few moments later, the rowdy boys from the kitchen migrated to the lounge where Louis was sprawled out on the sofa. Liam handed Louis a bowl of spaghetti and plopped down beside him while Niall sat in an armchair beside them.

"So, for the Christmas party, I was thinking ugly sweaters, a gift exchange, and a shit ton of alcohol. Eggnog, maybe?" Liam suggested between bites of pasta, continuing the conversation between him and Niall. Louis looked up from his food and raised an eyebrow. Christmas party? He had totally forgotten about their festive tradition of getting pissed in the name of the Lord. It always followed his birthday party, so he was usually already half-drunk when the party started. Niall put down his empty bowl and nodded,

"Eggnog for sure. Who are you inviting anyway? The same people as always?" Liam nodded with a mouth full of pasta. The usual crowd at a party in their flat was around 15 people, give or take a few.

"Can I invite a few friends? They're all first years and they've not partied much. I think they would have fun," Niall responded. This earned another nod from Liam.

"Go for it," he said as he finished his dinner. Louis didn't contribute to the conversation, his mind floating back to the coffee shop. As if he could read minds, Liam looked to Louis, nudging him with his elbow.

"Hey, I'm in charge of coffee for my study group in the morning. You should take me to the place you've been going to all term. It's gotta be good if you can spend every day there," Liam said. Louis responded a little too quickly,

"Oh, for sure. What time?" Liam gave him a vague time, around eight-ish, which was pretty late for Louis. He was usually there by seven, but this gave him the perfect chance to play it cool; he didn't want H to think that he was a total stalker, as if he hadn't been in at open almost every day. Chugging the rest of his beer, Louis took his dishes to the kitchen before heading to get ready for bed. After a quick shower, he was off to sleep, ready to dream of H's curly brown hair and the smell of freshly steeped Yorkshire tea. 


	2. wednesday, december 16

The next morning, Louis was met with a few knocks on his door. Liam was up and ready to go, and this was the latest Louis had slept in months. He shot out of bed, startled by the knocking. Quickly, he pulled together an outfit that he felt was suitable for his day at the shop. A pair of black jeans and an old, green Adidas jumper that had been gifted to him by Liam. He was comfortable, but he also felt as if he looked nice; he didn't want to look like he was trying too hard. Louis ran product through his hair, looking at himself in the mirror as Liam walked into the room. Liam smiled a bit to himself as he watched Louis get ready before clearing his throat,

"You ready to head out?" Louis turned quickly and nodded, grabbing his backpack. The two boys headed down to the parking lot where they hopped into Liam's car. A quiet, five-minute drive led them to the small, brown building that held the coffee shop. Louis hopped out of the vehicle, smoothing out his jumper before walking through the door. The door made a familiar ding and it earned a response from H.

"Welcome in! What can I get started for you?" H sang without even looking up from the coffee beans he was grinding. Louis couldn't hold back a smile as he replied,

"You tell me, H. What am I having?" H looked up and blushed wildly, his dimples prominent as he smiled brightly.

"Louis! I will be right on it. You're late! Where were you this morning? I was so worried." H giggled, turning his back to start on the well-known beverage. Liam raised an eyebrow at Louis, giving him a small smirk. Louis only shrugged in response before responding to H.

"I slept in this morning. Long night. Sorry to make you worry, love."

H laughed softly in reply, pouring the steamed milk into Louis' teacup. He passed the teacup across the counter and Louis picked it up, his heart fluttering when he saw the heart shaped foam that had settled on the top of his drink. Trying to play it cool, he sipped it and flashed H a smile as Liam looked over the menu. After a few minutes of studying the expansive list of drinks, Liam listed off several drinks and H jotted the order down on a small notepad. Once he was finished, H floated off to complete the large order.

Liam and Louis made their way to the leather chairs that seemed to have Louis' name on them. He looked around the shop, pretending that he wasn't just going to admire H behind the counter. H looked especially beautiful today; his hair was pushed back with a printed bandana and he had his short sleeves cuffed so that they hugged his small muscles tightly. Louis rested his chin on his hand as he watched before Liam cleared his throat once more.

"I can see why you come here so often..." Liam smirked, wiggling his eyebrows a bit at Louis. Louis quickly looked back at Liam and frowned.

"What? They make hell of a cuppa." He retorted, a little too defensively. Laughing knowingly, Liam slowly nodded.

"Got it," he said with a smirk as H walked out carrying two drink carriers in one hand and another to-go drink in the other.

"Here you are, Liam!" H beamed, handing him the drinks. Liam took them gratefully and stood up, turning to Louis.

"Are you ready to go, Lou?" Liam asked, adjusting all of the drinks. H's smile faltered a bit as he picked up Louis' empty mug.

"Oh... Leaving so soon, Lou?" He asked, adopting the nickname that Liam had just used. Louis' stomach was swarmed with butterflies and he instantly shook his head.

"No way, H. I'll be right back, okay, love?" Louis smiled, causing the green-eyed boy to blush as he went back behind the counter, a small line had formed. A small nod assured Louis as he headed out to Liam's car, the door chiming as they left.

Liam couldn't hold it in much longer and began to tease Louis as soon as they were in the car.

"You have a crush on the barista! That's why you're here every day!" Liam said, setting the drinks in his backseat. Louis' face went bright pink and he felt his ears get hot.

"Please don't tell anyone..." Louis pleaded, not even attempting to deny it. Liam's smile softened and he nodded slowly, pulling Louis into a hug.

"Mate, of course, you know I won't... But this is a good thing!" Liam said, hugging his best friend tightly. He knew that Louis had struggled with his sexuality and he had only told Liam about it recently after one too many pints. Louis pulled away from the hug and sighed, covering his eyes.

"What the fuck am I gonna do, Payno? I am absolutely fucked." Louis groaned. Liam sighed and started to drive. The car ride was silent until the two arrived back at the parking lot of their flat.

"Listen, Lou. This is a good thing. Let it happen," Liam reassured Louis as he got out of the car. Louis only nodded and got into his own car, headed back to the shop.

A familiar ding met Louis as he pushed the coffee shop door open for the second time that morning. His eyes were glued to his feet as he walked through the empty seating area, still deep in thought from his drive. H, who was cleaning the counters, looked up and grinned. In a sing-songy voice, he called out,

"Hello, Lou! Time for another cuppa?" Louis looked up, obviously stuck in his head as he forced a smile. H frowned and set down his rag.

"What's up...? You alright?" He inquired as Louis sat down in a different seat than his usual. Louis only shrugged, getting out his laptop and beginning to work without another word. The shop went quiet except for the music played over the speakers and the usual sounds of coffee being made. Diving into his work to avoid his problems, Louis typed and typed away on his keyboard as he hid away in the dark corner of the shop. He could feel H sneaking worried glances at him and couldn't focus due to the sound of H's voice as he continued to take orders. It frustrated him and he did his best to drown it out, but he ended up throwing in headphones to drown it all out.

What felt like minutes had passed, but in reality it had been hours since he had sat down. Louis looked up from his screen to see a cup of tea had been placed on a napkin next to his laptop. God knows how long it had been there. There was a note written on the black napkin, written in the same white marker that had scrawled the H on the barista's name tag:

_"Sorry you're having a bad morning. - H x."_

Louis stared at the note for a bit too long before pushing the full cup of tea away from him. He quickly started to pack his things, pulling up the hood on his jumper. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he walked up to the counter with the cash to pay for his drink, not looking up from the ground. H looked up, smiling at the hooded boy. It was about 30 minutes from the end of his shift and he was working quickly to get ready to go home.

"Hey, Lou. You're all good. Drinks on me tonight," H chirped, rinsing out a coffee pot. Louis shook his head, putting the money on the counter. The curly-headed boy giggled and shook his head, pushing it back towards Louis. "Nope, already paid for," H grinned. Looking up at H harshly, Louis put the bill back down.

"I'm not a damn charity case. Take the fuckin' money, mate," Louis spit. He looked into H's eyes as the smile on his face faded away, turning into an obviously hurt expression. H stuttered,

"I wasn't, I-I'm sorry. I can't take it... I already paid for it."

Louis stuffed the money into his pocket and stormed out, leaving a teary-eyed H standing alone at the counter in the empty coffee shop. He got in his car and slammed his fist on the steering wheel, tears filling his eyes. He finally had a good thing going, finally, and he found someone willing to be nice to him. Fumbling with his jumper pocket and pulling out his phone, he punched in the memorized number and called Liam. As soon as the line clicked that he had picked up the phone, Louis' eyes threatened to overflow with tears.

"I fucked it all up, man!" He shouted, catching Liam completely off guard.

"Whoa, Lou, calm down... What is going on?" Liam asked. Louis choked on tears and seemed to speak in complete gibberish, the only words that Liam could understand being "I need a fucking drink, mate."

Liam tried as hard as he could to calm Louis, but it was no use. The boy was hysterical and seemed to think a night out was the only cure. He drove back to the flat, screaming profanities the whole way home, where he met up with Liam, who drove him out to his favorite pub. They entered the brick building, Louis obviously tense as angry and sorrowful tears silently slid down his cheeks. Liam led his best friend to their usual seat in the back.

Sitting in the small, dimly lit booth in the back corner of the small pub, Louis started pounding back shot after shot. The sting of straight alcohol burnt the back of his throat and his chest started to feel warm, but the thought of H seemed as if it wouldn't fade. He looked at Liam, his vision blurry and his head feeling dizzy. Drinking to forget his problems was something he was familiar with, but it seemed as if this was one problem a pint couldn't quite fix.

"How the fuck do I fix it, Payno?" He stammered, rubbing his eyes and laying his head on the disgusting, sticky pub table. Liam sighed and shrugged,

"Louis, I have no clue how to help you because I have no clue what happened. You have to tell me what went on, mate." Louis shook his head and shouted a little too loud,

"I was a fucking prick to the only guy who has ever been nice to me! I made him upset and I don't even deserve to apologize! All because I don't want people to know I'm gay!" Louis' fists slammed onto the table, rattling empty shot glasses and pints and drawing attention to himself. Pint glasses continued to stack at the edge of the table and threatened to collapse at Louis' aggressive movements. He was getting more and more agitated, mumbling nonsense that Liam couldn't even come close to deciphering

"Maybe we should get home, Lou. You have had a lot to drink, and it's getting really late. Let's just go," Liam said in a hushed tone, trying to quiet Louis down. Meanwhile, Louis has stood up and is stumbling to the front door.

"I'm going to tell him I'm fucking sorry, okay?" He yelled, pushing the front door open. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning and Louis had no clue how to get to H's house, but he did know one thing: he knew how to get to the coffee shop. As Louis began stumbling in that direction, Liam was following close behind. From his car window, Liam yelled out to the drunk boy on the sidewalk,

"Louis! Get in the fucking car!"

In return, Liam was met with both of Louis' middle fingers as he turned the corner and disappeared into the night. After an hour, two scraped knees and ripped jeans, Louis managed to arrive at the front door of Fig and Sparrow. He banged on the door, tears streaming down his cheeks and blood running down his knees.

"H! Let me in, I'm so sorry!" He yelled at the top of his lungs but there was no reply. Louis' heart broke inside his alcohol-warmed chest. H wasn't letting him in, but there was no way in hell he was leaving. Slumping against the side of the building, Louis decided he would wait forever, or until the door was unlocked.


	3. thursday, december 17

At four o'clock the next morning, H walked through the freshly fallen snow to open up the shop. His footsteps crunched as he approached the entrance and he could not believe his eyes when he stopped to unlock the front door. The sound of H's keys woke the shivering Louis that had fallen asleep next to the front door. He was covered in a fresh layer of snow and was sitting in a puddle of frozen vomit. When he opened his eyes and looked up, he was met with the warm face and green eyes of a concerned H.

"Oh my god, Lou... What the hell are you doing here?" H gasped, reaching down to help the older boy off of the ground. Embarrassed and still kind of drunk, Louis scrambled to get to his feet, nearly falling in the process.

"I-I came to say I'm sorry for being a dick to you yesterday. I ruined everything..." Louis slurs, swaying and shivering as H shoved the door open.

"Go inside... I'll make you a cuppa... You idiot, you could've died out there!" H said in a harsh but caring tone. Louis' eyes filled with tears as he sat down in his usual seat. He could tell that even through his harshness, H still cared.

"You aren't mad at me for being an asshole?" Louis cried, still obviously drunk. H sighed and shook his head, finishing up Louis' drink and putting a breakfast sandwich in the oven.

"No, love... Now, hush up and drink this," H cooed, slipping off his thick wool coat to drape over Louis. Louis nodded, sucking up his tears and curling into the coat. It was warm with H's body heat and smelled of tobacco and vanilla, which soothed the older boy almost instantly. H rushed to the oven as it beeped, grabbing the hot sandwich and setting it in front of Louis, encouraging him to eat it. He sat down in front of him and sighed, running a hand through his hair. Louis took a bite from the sandwich and muttered with a full mouth,

"I'm sorry I puked outside."

H's concerned face melted into a soft smile.

"Don't worry about it, love... Let's call your boyfriend to come pick you up, alright? Do you have your phone?" Louis looked confused and pulled out his phone, which is cracked and has thirty missed calls from Liam.

"I don't have a boyfriend..." Louis said, handing H the phone. H frowned, nodding slightly.

"Oh, I assumed that guy you came in with... Nevermind... I'll call him, okay?" Louis only nodded, laying his head down on the table. Walking to the back to finish his opening chores, H called Liam to let him know what he had found outside the door. Liam, both angry and relieved, told him he would be on his way. H slipped the phone into his apron pocket and came back out to find Louis, asleep on the table. He sat down next to him, waiting for the drunk boy to be collected.

Time felt like it had frozen as the two boys waited for Liam to arrive. The only sound in the small shop was a light snore coming from the drunk boy and a hum that seemed to fall from H's lips. Soon enough, H saw the bright lights of Liam's car as he turned into the shop's parking lot. Liam walked up to the door and H softly tapped Louis' shoulder to wake him.

"Lou, love... Liam is here... Time to wake up." H cooed, stroking Louis' back softly. The drunk boy stirred and slowly lifted his head, grumbling to himself. The door chimed and Louis looked around, his eyes meeting Liam's. To say the least, Liam looked angry, but his face softened at the sight of Louis' bloody knees and vomit stained jumper.

"Come on, out to the car," Liam sighed and came over to the table. H smiled sadly at Liam, grabbing a hold of Louis' hand gently. Helping the shorter boy to his feet, H whispered reassurance into his ear as he led him out to Liam's car.

"Liam, I'm so sorry for calling this early, but I figured you could get him home... I don't have a car and I have to work," H apologized as he buckled Louis into the backseat of the car. Liam shook his head and thanked H again for contacting him.

Louis' arm stretched out from the backseat, reaching out for H.

"Are you mad?" He asked H, his eyes still a bit watery from sleep and tears. H's thin lips curled into a soft, sad smile.

"Of course not, Lou. Go home and get some sleep... I'll have a cuppa ready for you when you wake up, alright love?" He said softly, pushing Louis' arms back into the car. Louis smiled softly, his eyes slowly closing as he rested his head on the back of the seat.

"Thanks again for helping him. He was a complete mess earlier and he disappeared after we left the pub. I really do owe you one." Liam said running his hand through his messy hair, obviously stressed and tired.

"Seriously, don't worry about it. I knew he was upset and I didn't want him to freeze. He is a sweetheart, really," H said softly. He checked his watch, seeing that the store opened in only fifteen minutes.

"I've got to get back in, shop's about to open... Stay out here for just a moment and I'll be right out with a to-go for him, okay?" H said, glancing back at Louis, who was snoring and leaning against the window with his mouth wide open. H grabbed the sleeping boy's phone from his apron and handed it to Liam.

Liam hopped into the front seat of his car, turning the heat on, making it warm for the sleeping boy in his backseat. After a few minutes, H hurried out the double doors of the coffee shop and made his way to the driver's side window.

"Here's that tea for him and I threw in a hot chocolate for you as well," H said in a warm tone.

"Thanks for that. Hey, Lou and I are having our annual Christmas party on Saturday. If you aren't busy, you are welcome to stop in. There'll be drinks, food, secret Santa, you know... the lot. I'm sure he would love to have you there, not that he would admit." Liam offered kindly. H felt his heart tighten at the thought of him and Louis at said Christmas party, but he sighed and shook his head.

"I would be thrilled to go, but I actually have plans. My best-mate is dragging me to some get-together that he's going to. I'm really sorry." H said, starting to regret accepting the other party invitation. Liam gave H a nod and reassured him that it was not a problem.

"Well, I should really be getting back to work. When he wakes up, have him text me so I know he's alright, yeah?" H asked, feeling his toes tingle from standing in the cold. Liam nodded and waved as he drove off, leaving H alone on the snowy curb.

As Liam's car rolled to a stop, Louis' eyes slowly opened and he groaned. His head was pounding and he had no clue where he was. He sat up, looking for his phone.

"What the fuck happened last night?" He asked, squinting to look at Liam, who was turning off the car and getting out.

"You do not want to know, Tommo," Liam responded, shutting the car door. Louis was confused, to say the least, but he got out of the car and looked down at his clothes. He noticed the vomit on his jumper and the holes in his jeans and frowned.

"Shit, I must've been pissed..." He said, under his breath. Liam laughed and shook his head.

"That's a bit of an understatement," he said, handing Louis his cup of tea. "You ended up at Fig and Sparrow. Slept in a puddle of vomit and nearly froze to death. Good thing that barista let you in at four a.m. so you didn't get hypothermia," Liam patted Louis on the back and walked into the front door of the complex.

Louis' stomach dropped, realizing that he probably made a fool out of himself in front of H. He dragged himself inside, going up to the flat. A shower sounded wonderful after the night he'd had, but his head hurt so bad he could hardly stand. As soon as he stepped foot into his room, he was back in bed and out like a light. His nap only lasted a few hours, and when he woke up, his head was throbbing a bit less. He noticed that Liam had left a glass of water and a few pain relief tablets on the bedside table next to his phone. Liam was always so good to him, and at times he felt as if he didn't deserve a best mate like him. His phone vibrated, interrupting his thoughts. A text from a contact saved only as "H x" had sent him a message:

_"Hope you are feeling alright. - H x."_

Louis stared at the phone, a bit awestruck. While H was taking care of him, he must have snuck his number into Louis' phone. He had no clue how to respond. He still felt terrible for everything that had happened, but he could not pass up the chance to speak with him. Louis decided he'd respond after he showered, but he sent a quick text to let H know that his message had been received.

_"I'm ok . Thank you for everything . xx"_

With a sigh, he sent the message. He didn't want to continue worrying about what H would respond, so he tucked the phone under his pillow and slowly hobbled his way into the bathroom. He turned the silver knob of the shower as hot as it would safely go and pulled the glass door shut. Steam began to roll over the top of the shower door. He breathed in deeply and started to undress, putting his dirty clothes in a neat pile next to the overflowing hamper. As the shower door pulled up, he embraced the warm steam hitting his bare chest. The bitter winter weather was not pleasant, and after his night of exposure to the wind, he welcomed the introduction of heat. He stepped into the shower and let the hot water cascade over his head, soaking his hair and rolling in beads over his back.

Wanting to quickly get back to bed, he began to shampoo the mop on his head and scrub his tattooed skin, ridding himself of last night's vomit. Although he attempted to make the shower brief, this was his only time to be completely disconnected from the outside world. In the relatively small space that was his shower, he owed nothing to anyone. He was alone with his thoughts and ideas. He liked to be alone; he was just starting to get used to it. But then came H. Once everything was rinsed off, the soap and the crazy night he had before, and the water ran cold, he sighed and decided to hop out. A steamy, tattooed hand reached out from the shower and fumbled around for the stack of plush white towels on the counter. He grabbed one and stepped out onto the rug, drying himself thoroughly before wrapping the towel around his waist and heading back to his bedroom.

When he got back to his bed, he couldn't hold back from checking his phone. He felt like a teenage girl, giddy to read the response of a curly-headed, tan-skinned boy. Slipping his hand under his pillow, he felt a swarm of butterflies in his stomach. He had properly talked to this boy only a few times: once while he was drunk, and the other when he was being a complete dick. How does he already have this effect on Louis? Slowly unlocking his phone, he was met with nothing. There was no text back and it had been thirty minutes. Maybe the barista was truly just being kind and checking in; maybe that was all this was. Was Louis misreading the signals? Were there any signals at all? Louis huffed and tossed his phone to the foot of the bed, pouting like a toddler who had been told no. Not even bothering to get dressed, he tugged the white duvet up to his chin and curled up in his bed to sulk.

Back at Fig and Sparrow, the curly-headed boy was stressed, to say the least. After the fiasco early this morning, H was hoping to have a laid back day at work, but that was not what he received. The rush hour seemed to start early and hadn't ceased since. He had been rushing around the small shop taking orders and preparing people's drinks. In the midst of all the rush, he had forgotten about the text he had sent Louis to check in. To be fair, he did have a bunch of middle-aged women yelling at him about their orders being incorrect. At one point, he had gotten so flustered that he had accidentally given an old man a drink for free. As the time neared closing, he decided that he would start to clean up early. Grabbing the dirty mugs and plates that customers had left on the tables, he moved to take them to the back room, where the dishwasher resided. If it weren't for the bell that hung on the front door of the coffee shop, he wouldn't have heard anyone come in.

"Sorry, we're closed," he yelled from the back room. He made his way to the front, not expecting to see the blue-eyed boy staring right at him.

"Jesus, Lou! You scared the hell out of me. What are you doing here?" H asked, with a confused tone lacing his voice.

"I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to apologize in person. I figured that it would probably mean more when I was sober," Louis stated, staring at his feet, obviously embarrassed about the events that had happened earlier that morning. H just nodded and moved towards Louis. He was surprised when the taller boy wrapped his arms around Louis' neck, embracing him in a tight hug.

"I'm just glad that you are okay. It's really not something to apologise about. Oh! I completely forgot to text you back, didn't I?" H rambled, squeezing Louis tightly. He had his face buried in the crook of Louis' neck and deeply inhaled the scent of his cologne.

Rough was the only word H could think of to describe his day. He was running on no sleep and had dealt with Louis and an unusually busy day, and he was completely exhausted. Louis couldn't even formulate a response due to the overwhelming fluttering in his chest, so he just squeezed the boy back, placing a hand on the back of his head and pulling him closer.

"I still feel bad, love... You shouldn't have to deal with all that..." Louis hummed, using his free hand to rub the taller boy's back. H only shrugged, sighing. He pulled away from Louis, looking at him. He is very obviously exhausted, dark circles forming under his eyes from working an entire week of shifts lasting twelve hours or more. His shiny green eyes looked dull, making it apparent that he needs rest.

"Need a ride home? I can give you a lift since the snow is still pretty heavy," Louis asked H, seeing the tiredness continue to take over the young boy's body. H looked at Louis with a kind smile plastered on his face.

"That would be lovely. Let me just grab my bag from the back room and I can lock up on our way out," H replied, hurriedly walking to the back. Louis started his car from inside the store, thankful for the remote-control start that Liam had gifted him for his twentieth birthday.

"Alright, I'm ready to go," H muttered as he walks towards Louis. Louis gave him a slight nod and held his arm out for H to lace his through. The two boys made their way to Louis' car, making sure to lock the doors to the shop on the way out. Louis followed H to the passenger side and opened the car door for him. H muttered a small 'thank you' as he climbed into the seat. He enjoyed the feeling of the warmth that had begun to take over his body. His tall, lanky body started to look tiny to Louis, curling up in his coat and basking in the warmth of the car's heater vents. The boy's green eyes slowly fluttered shut, the day's events finally catching up to him.

A soft snore escaped his lips, causing Louis to shift his eyes to check on him. He couldn't hold back a smile when he saw the boy, sleeping bundled up against the window. Louis sighed happily to himself, his long fingers tapping the leather of his steering wheel in sync with the clicking of his turn signal. Chuckling softly, he realized that he had no clue how to get to H's house. As he meets the next stop sign, he gently pushes a curl out of H's face causing him to stir. He whined a little and opened one of his eyes. Louis flashed him a soft grin and pushed some more hair behind H's ear.

"I know you're tired, love, but I've got to get you home... You can go back to sleep as soon as you get home, yeah?" Louis whispered sweetly, earning a small nod from the sleepy boy. He sat up a bit in his seat, readjusting his seatbelt and beginning to give Louis directions. His voice was raspy and low, full of sleep. Louis was silent as he drove, eventually pulling into the empty driveway. The last time he gave H a ride, there was a van in the drive, presumably his mum's, but tonight it was gone. H gave it no second thought, slowly stumbling out of Louis' car.

"Text me when you're home safe, alright Lou?" H said, barely audible. Louis nodded and smiled softly,

"Of course, love. Go inside and get some rest..." The passenger door slammed shut and the tall boy shuffled into the house, heading directly to his bed. Louis couldn't help but smile the whole drive home, his heart swelling from the night he had just had. He couldn't believe that H had hugged him like that and forgiven him so quickly for what he had done.

Louis enjoyed the quiet drive back to his flat. For the first time in a while, he thought of something other than the curly-headed barista that had come to take over his mind. He couldn't help but think of the Christmas party that he had ultimately left Liam to plan all by himself. He felt slightly bad for abandoning his role in the party planning, but he was preoccupied with all of his school work and his new-found obsession with the boy at the shop. In all honesty, he was hoping he could just use this night as a way to get pissed and forget about everything that had been worrying him. He pulled into the parking lot and hopped out of the car, resisting the urge to instantly pull out his phone to text H. Walking up the steps, he felt the phone in his jean pocket vibrate against his thigh. Like a teenage girl, Louis got a giddy feeling in his chest and rushed to check the notification. He sighed, seeing the text notification from Liam.

_"On my way home from work. Any suggestions for dinner? -Li "_

Louis realized that he hadn't eaten much that day, just some leftover spaghetti from the other night. As if on cue, his stomach growled, letting him know that it would be wise to text Liam back as soon as possible.

_"Don't worry about dinner . I'll pop a pizza in the oven for us . See you in a bit . Drive safe . Xx"_

Louis made his way to their small freezer and pulled out a pizza for the two boys. He heated the oven and put the frozen pizza in, leaving it to cook for 20 minutes. He decided to turn something on the telly to help relax him. Louis heard the jingle of Liam's keys in the door, ready to enjoy some quality time with his best mate. Liam strolled in, dropping his belongings on the table beside the door. He plopped down on the sofa next to Louis, tuning into the football match on the TV. Louis was radiating a good mood, making Liam look at him with a smile.

"What's got you so happy?" Liam questioned, poking Louis' side. Louis shook his head, attempting to hide the smile on his face. He was trying hard not to be obvious, but he also didn't want to blow the whole thing out of proportion. This was just a weird crush he would get over eventually, and he didn't want to make it into something it wasn't. Liam giggled to himself and went to check on the pizza, knowing exactly what was going through his best friend's head.

After demolishing the frozen pizza they had made, Liam and Louis decided it was time to decorate for the Christmas party that was the next night. A tote full of tinsel, fairy lights, and snowflakes was dragged from the depths of the closet and Louis began the task of constructing and decorating the tree. His tattooed fingers gently strung yellow lights in the green branches of the tree and he carefully placed red and silver baubles throughout, his tongue poking out in concentration. As a Christmas Eve baby, the holiday brought him joy and he loved to decorate. He placed the star atop the tree and smiled to himself, his chest warm and his heart full. Turning around, he was met with Liam who was holding a knotted bundle of string lights with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Help?" He asked, stretching out the mess of cords out to Louis. Louis shot Liam a grin before taking them.

Once the entire flat was completely covered in twinkling lights and silver glitter, the two boys collapsed on the couch. They were sweaty from the strenuous task of wrapping lights around the banisters and drunk-proofing all rooms, but the results were totally worth it. Louis could not stop beaming, the yellow lights' warmth contrasting against the bright white snow that was still falling outside the windows. There was only one thing that could've made that exact moment better. No matter what was there to distract him, H always came back to him. Louis was not the sappy type, not the type for romance, and definitely not the type for love. But, there was something about this boy, something was different.

Louis wanted to know everything about him. He wanted to know his story, his heart, everything, and no matter how hard he tried to put the thoughts of the brown-haired boy out of his mind, he always popped right back up. The phone in his pocket felt like a brick, begging him to take it out and send H one more text, to say one more word for the night. Resisting it felt like hell, but Louis couldn't come on too strong. He couldn't let the boy know that he was head over heels for him. Besides, H was so exhausted when he dropped him off that there was no way he was still awake. He was probably out like a light, curled up in his bed. Louis could only imagine the warm smell of coffee and the boy's cologne mixing with the soft snores, making him yearn to be in the bed next to him. Shaking his head, Louis attempted once more to rid his mind of the beautiful barista.

As he headed to bed for the night, his phone gawked at him from the bedside table where it sat to charge. Was it too much to just say goodnight? Louis pondered this, the question repeating like a broken record in his head as he changed into a pair of pajama pants. Eventually, after slipping his warm body into his cold, crisp sheets, he couldn't resist any longer. He stretched out his arm and blindly fumbled for the phone in the dark room. The screen felt cold to the touch as he grasped it, checking to see if there were any notifications. Barren, his screen projected the time at him and let him know that he should've gone to sleep hours ago. His slender fingers unlocked the device and he slowly crafted a message to H, overthinking every syllable.

_"I hope you sleep well, H . You deserve the rest . I'm off to bed now XX"_

Louis' finger trembled over the send button as he debated pressing it. Why was he so worried about what this text said? It was only a goodnight text between friends. That's all it was, nothing more. Closing his eyes and sighing, Louis tapped send and instantly buried the phone under his pillow. It was sent and there was no going back. He felt as if he had just sent the riskiest text, yet it was actually quite tame. Had he sent too many kisses? Was it weird to say that H deserved to sleep? Why the hell was he still worried about the damn text? Pulling a pillow over his face, Louis clamped his eyes shut. He was going to sleep, whether he wanted to or not.


	4. friday, december 18

The next morning, Louis decided to go for a comfy outfit while he ran his errands, knowing that his outfit for the party wasn’t necessarily something he would like to be seen in public wearing. A plain white t-shirt covered his tattooed chest, while he pulled on the black jeans that he had been wearing the other night, now having rips in the knees. Making his way down the small stairwell, decorated for the party, he saw Liam sitting at their dining table drinking his morning coffee. 

“I’ll be back in a bit. Gotta pick up a gift for the party tonight,” Louis stated, grabbing his jean jacket off of the hook next to their front door. 

“Alright, mate. Don’t forget to pick up the drinks for tonight as well. I’ll give you some cash for them when you get back later,” Liam said, giving Louis a smile as he sipped his drink. Louis just gave Liam a nod and made his way out their front door.

Louis hopped into his car and cranked up the heat, warming his fingers from the cold air. He turned the volume knob on his radio to fill the silence of the car. Bopping his head to the music, he drove his usual route to the coffee shop. Taking this drive was halfway to becoming muscle memory but a part of Louis hoped that it meant he would get a glimpse of H’s shiny curls or his soft smile. The drive-through was busy, a line wrapping around the side of the building, but Louis decided that those green eyes would be totally worth the wait. His fingers anxiously tapped the steering wheel in rhythm with the song on the radio as he waited impatiently for the line to move. The line felt like it led to a rollercoaster rather than a coffee menu. Minutes passed by and eventually, Louis found himself at the microphone where he would order. 

He held his breath and bit his lip as he waited to hear H’s raspy voice over the speaker. His heart dropped when he was met with the voice of an older woman, who he knew to be one of the other baristas. In a monotone voice, he ordered his usual drink and made his way to the window in disappointment. The drink was passed to him and he took a sip as he drove off, puckering his lips at the first sip. Sugar. He took his tea with no sugar, and this was the sweetest thing he had ever had. It made him irrationally angry for a few seconds before he took a deep breath to collect himself. The steamy cup in the cupholder glared at him, and Louis huffed as he entered the Asda parking lot. Pulling out his phone, which he hadn’t checked all day, he went to text H about his dreary drive-through experience. When he opened up the messages between them, he was met with a missed text from the boy.

_ “Good morning, Lou. -H xx :)” _

How the hell had he missed that? The timestamp on the message read six o’clock in the morning and that was the only explanation Louis needed. Of course the barista would be an early bird. Louis’ fingers couldn’t scramble to reply quickly enough.

_ “Mornin love ! So sorry , I sleep like a log . :) Xx” _

_ “Just stopped for a cuppa and they put sugar . :( Obv you aren’t there this mornin . Missed u . x” _

Louis went to put his phone away, but before it could even make it to his pocket, he had already responded. 

_ “Sleepyhead. - H x” _

_ “How dare they mess up your tea!! :( Sorry, Lou. My day off today. -H x” _

A blush spread wildly across Louis’ cheeks as he read the texts. Not wanting to seem too excited, he slipped the phone into his pocket and got out of the car. He pulled his sunglasses over his eyes, the sunshine reflecting off of the fresh layer of snow that covered his surroundings. The snow beneath his feet crunched as he approached the entrance of the store. He was looking for a gag gift for the exchange tonight, but he had no idea what to purchase. Wandering the aisles of the shop, Louis got lost in his thoughts, as always. The store was busy with people attempting to finish their late Christmas shopping, and Louis could barely see the items on the shelves due to the vast amount of shoppers. He groaned to himself as he attempted to find an aisle that wasn’t packed, not wanting to deal with all of the people. 

As he strolled through the mostly empty shampoo aisle, he was met with a familiar set of curly brown locks. He examined the boy from behind. H was wearing khaki colored skinny jeans that were cuffed at the ankle and an orange knit sweater that was baggy on the skinny boy’s frame. His outfit made him look small, even though he was a bit taller than Louis. Louis panicked a bit and reached out to tap the boy on his shoulder, startling him a bit. H jumped a little and quickly whipped his head around to look at who had touched him. His face glowed red when he saw Louis and he smiled shyly, stuttering as he spoke. 

“Oh, hey… What are you doing here?” He asked, his tanned cheeks burning pink and his hands fidgeting with the hem of his sweater. Louis smiled at the boy’s awkward mannerisms.

“Liam and I are having a Christmas party tonight,” he chuckled, “I got put in charge of getting the alcohol, of course. I’ve also got to find a gift for the party, damn gift exchanges. I never know what to get.”

H giggled at the boy’s responsibility for alcohol, remembering their previous early morning encounter. The green-eyed boy looked at his phone, feeling a notification come though. 

“Oh... I’m sorry but I really should be going. My mate is dragging me to a party tonight and he needs help picking out an outfit,” H stumbled over his words, not wanting Louis to think that he’s not interested in their conversation. Louis nods and lets H know that it’s not a problem,

“I should get going too. Don’t worry about it. Have fun with your mates! I’ll see you Monday, yeah?” Louis grinned. H just gave Louis a smile and a small ‘of course’, starting to scurry out of the aisle. Not looking where he was going, he bumped into a woman with long brown hair who was rounding the corner. 

“Darling, there you are! I have been looking for you! Have you got everything you need?” The woman said sweetly as the already nervous H’s face faded from a pink to a deep red. Louis grinned and attempted with all of his chest to subdue a giggle. Through his teeth, H mumbled, hiding behind his curls.

“Yes, mum. Let’s go…”

Louis sent H, who felt as if he wanted to crawl in a hole and perish, a cheeky grin. H was obviously embarrassed to be shopping with his mum, but Louis found the younger boy adorable. He waved at H, who only nodded in response as he forced a smile and walked off with his mum. Louis instantly pulled out his phone to send a text.

_ “U look so cute when u r blushing . :P Xx” _

_ “Sorry to embarrass u , love . No need to be embarrassed . Remember , I vommed all over myself in front of u ??? Xx” _

Louis giggled to himself as he continued to look through the large store. His phone buzzed in his pocket soon after and he pulled it out to check the notification.

_ “Sorry. Feeling pretty silly right now. -H x” _

_ “Thank you for calling me cute, though. Only made me blush more. -H x” _

Louis slipped his phone back into his pocket and couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face. He ended up purchasing a bunch of candies from the one pound aisle, deciding on purchasing some fruity alcoholic beverages to add to his gift. Heading to the self-checkout, Louis rushed to get out of Asda and into the liquor store.

Louis pulled into the local liquor store, ready to just get the alcohol and go home. He hopped out of his car and made his way to the front of the store. His feet led him down the aisles of the store, scanning the shelves and picking random drinks and mixers. He finally made his way to the cashier, who gave him a smile and said,

“That all for ya?” 

Louis just gave the middle-aged man a nod and handed him a fifty pound note, took his change from the man, and left to his car. He shoved all of his shopping in the back seat of the car. The bags that were piled up against the doors were full of snacks and drinks. Louis started his drive back home, glancing at the clock. There were a few hours before the party was due to start, now all he had to do was kill time.

About half an hour before the party began, Louis’ phone was blowing up with text messages. 

_ “Thoughts??? Xx” _

A mirror selfie of H dressed in a Christmas sweater was attached. Several messages followed.

_ “Oh my god.” _

_ “Please do not look at that picture.” _

_ “I am so sorry.” _

_ “I am throwing my phone in the bin.” _

_ “This is so embarrassing.” _

Louis opened the message and giggled out loud, his smile uncontrollable. He quickly typed a reply, snapping a mirror selfie to attach. His ugly sweater was a bit edgier than H’s. The print said something raunchy, along the lines of “jingle my balls,” vulgar for no reason.

“ _ We match !! Xx” _

_ “U r so easily embarrassed . I think u r cute, dont worry . X” _

_ “Btw , looks great :) Have fun tonight , love Xxxx” _

He attempted to wipe the smile from his face as he trotted down the stairs to help Liam finish setting up for the night ahead. Liam had already started to put out the snacks and drinks for the guests. 

“Lou, can you get the punch bowl for the eggnog?” Liam asked, pointing to the cabinet where the bowl was located. Louis replied with a small hum as he grabbed the bowl. Passing Louis the rum, Liam started making the sandwiches that were going to be served. Louis mixed in the ingredients for the eggnog, eye-balling the amount of rum he was supposed to put in. Setting the bowl on the bar, he made his way to the speakers to plug in his phone and play music. 

The doorbell rang, signifying that the first guests had arrived. Liam scurried to let them in, already a few drinks in. Guests began to fill the living room, sitting in all available seats and setting their presents under the Christmas tree. Louis struck up a conversation with Zayn, a friend from one of his English classes. He hadn’t seen him for the whole break and was excited to get out of his mind and socialize. His attention is drawn away when the door opens once again. A familiar face appeared, causing Louis’ eyes to widen to the size of dinner plates. H had just walked into his apartment, accompanied by Niall. Louis shot Zayn a quick, forced smile and rushed to find Liam. Liam, who was leaning up against the wall and speaking to a girl from his study group, was shocked to be pulled aside by his shirt.

“Liam. Big fuckin’ problem, mate,” Louis panted, obviously frazzled.

Liam cocked his head and looked at Louis, puzzled and a bit tipsy. Louis mouthed dramatically ‘barista’ and ‘here,’ causing Liam’s jaw to drop a bit. It didn’t take long for his surprise to fade into a smirk. 

“Tommo, it’s go time. Now’s your chance,” Liam grinned cheekily, nudging Louis’ shoulder. Louis was shaking his head profusely when Niall approached him from behind, H following behind like a lost puppy, both of his hands gripping a solo cup. Niall grinned, placing a hand on Louis’ shoulder.

“Hey, boys! The place looks great. This is my mate that I told you about! H, introduce yourself!” Niall said, sipping from a beer bottle. Louis turned around, causing H to stammer in surprise.

“H-Hi… Your decorations look beautiful… I love the tree,” H smiled shyly, grateful for the dim lighting of the room that attempted to hide his bright red cheeks. Seeing that H was just as nervous as he was caused Louis’ nerves to subside almost instantly. He smiled at H and pulled him into a bro-hug that lasted just a bit too long. 

“Thanks, H! Decorated it myself. Looks like our plans aligned after all, huh?” Louis flirted as they pulled away, earning a giddy giggle from H. The first couple shots of vodka that Louis took before the party started were definitely coming in handy, giving him an ounce of courage. Niall raised an eyebrow, a little confused.

“You guys know each other? What a small world,” he shrugged, going off with Liam to the kitchen. H looked at Louis, still blushing wildly as he sipped on his eggnog. There was a bit of awkward silence between the boys as Mariah Carey’s Christmas carols provided a soundtrack. After a few moments, H looked down at the toes of his boots and spoke.

“I didn’t know this was your party, I swear. I can tell Niall that I need to leave, if you want me to.” H said, his hands shaking a bit. To Louis, it was obvious that H was already uncomfortable in a party situation and he could tell that it being his and Liam’s party was not helping in the slightest. Louis shook his head and smiled warmly,

“You don’t have to leave, love. I was going to invite you the other day at the shop, but you were in a hurry and, to be honest, I don’t think I had enough courage. Let’s not worry about that though, it’s time to have some fun!” Louis spoke, feeling the alcohol take over. 

“I-I don’t really do parties, Louis… Not my scene, you know?” H said, very obviously overwhelmed by the sound and movement around him. He continued to nervously sip on his drink, finishing his first cup. Louis nodded understandingly, leading him out to the living room once more. He found H a spot, an armchair near the TV, to sit and spectate the action. Niall checked in intermittently to refill H’s cup and bring him snacks, but Louis continued his fun. Shots continued to be poured and since it was nearing his birthday, Louis was definitely kept supplied with the alcohol. As it turned out, H was as well. To his knowledge, eggnog didn’t contain any alcohol, but the way that Louis had eyeballed the measurements, it was pretty strong.

As he danced next to the tree, the speakers blaring, Louis felt a large hand on his back and heard a bubbly giggle from behind him. He turned to see H, wobbling slightly as he tried to maintain his balance. 

“You alright, love?” Louis asked the curly-headed boy, his eyebrow raised slightly. 

“I’m good, Lou. I’ve never had eggnog before, but this is really good. It tastes like heaven in a cup, Lou. Like, so good,” H giggled uncontrollably, grasping onto Louis’ sweater for support. His words were slurred and it was very obvious to Louis that the boy was very, very tipsy.

“I’m glad you like it. I made it myself, but let’s get you to the couch, so you can sit for a little,” Louis told the stumbling boy. 

“No way, Lou… I’m dancin’! C’mon, let’s dance!” H murmured, his eyes half-closed and his steps unsteady. He began to dance in a way that can only be described as a nightmare; his dance moves were disastrous. 

Louis laughed and grabbed the boy’s hands, dragging him to the couch, where Niall and Liam were sitting. Liam seemed to be getting everyone’s presents ready for the white elephant game. H had wrapped his arms around Louis’ neck and had begun to giggle into his ear. Louis coughed, trying to subside the burning feeling that was rising in his stomach. He attempted to distance himself from H, earning a whine from the drunk boy. As much as Louis was enjoying to attention from him, nobody in the room knew that he was gay and he couldn’t out himself over a few glasses of eggnog. H looked at Louis, his bottom lip sticking out as he crossed his arms, pouting and leaning back against Niall. 

Louis tried to ignore the puppy dog eyes as the gift exchange began. The game garnered laughs from gag gifts like lube and condoms and there were some less raunchy gifts mixed in as well. As H’s turn approached, he drunkenly stood up and walked to the tree to pick his gift. A silver, sparkly bag caught his eye and he snatched it up, toting it back to the sofa. Within seconds, he had unwrapped a four pack of fruity cocktails that were flavored like cherry punch. He giggled wildly as he examined them, speaking to himself under his breath about the ‘juice’ he had received. Louis shook his head and laughed a little before going to choose his gift. He saw a small brown bag that had messy lettering, reading ‘White Elephant’ on the side. As he reached for the bag, he heard H whisper to Niall, 

“Ni, that one’s my gift. It’s a good one.” 

Louis smiled to himself and started unwrapping the gift. Inside the bag, he saw a three-wick candle that donned the same scents as the cologne that he wore everyday. Opening it, he inhaled notes of bergamot and vanilla and couldn’t stop the smile that was slowly spreading across his lips. He felt his chest flood with warmth knowing that this was the gift that H had chosen. 

“To whoever brought this gift, thank you. Liam has been stinking up our house since we moved in and I’ve been looking for a solution,” Louis gabbed, making everyone in the room laugh to themselves. As he looked to his right, he saw H with a giant cheesy grin on his face as he attempted to crack open one of the wine coolers from his gift. The gift exchange ended soon after and the dancing started right back up, the hours melting away. Louis, Liam, and a few of their female friends were dancing next to a speaker when a panicky Niall rushed up to them.

“Louis, Harry needs you upstairs,” Niall panted, obviously freaking out a bit. Louis furrowed his brow, racking his brain for a second at the name. It clicked and instantly the buzz of the alcohol faded. He didn’t respond before he turned to rush up the stairs. He could hear the distant sound of blubbering and retching coming from the bathroom in the hallway. Louis’ heart dropped as he approached the bathroom door, which was half-open. The sight he walked into was not pretty, making his heart fall even further towards the floor. Harry’s sobs intertwined with gags as Louis slowly entered the bathroom.

“Love, it’s okay… Do you need my help?” Louis asked softly, kneeling next to the boy, brushing a few curls out of his face. There was vomit on his chin and all down the front of his sweater, dyed red from the cherry wine coolers. Louis had to breathe deeply to avoid gagging himself. Harry sobbed in response, his cheek resting on the toilet seat. His curls were matted against his sweaty forehead and he looked sickly and pale, making him look absolutely pitiful.

“I threw up…” Harry said weakly, and Louis couldn’t help but laugh sadly. 

“I know you did, love… Do you feel any better?” Louis cooed, petting Harry’s head. Harry shrugged and muttered something about how tired he was before puking once more. Sighing, Louis rubbed his back and looked to Niall. “Is there vomit anywhere else or just in here?” He asked. Niall shook his head and Louis sighed again in relief. Harry continued to blubber in a way that neither of the other boys could understand. Turning to Niall, Louis gave him permission to go back down to the party. Niall headed back downstairs, leaving Louis to care for Harry.

“I think I’m done, Lou,” Harry muttered into the toilet. Louis hummed slightly and moved to help the boy stand. Harry flung his arms around Louis’ shoulders and tucked his head into the crook of Louis’ neck. Louis noticed the boy’s eyes flutter shut and moved to take the boy out of the bathroom. 

“Do you want to lay down for a bit, love?” Louis asked the nearly asleep boy in his arms. He took the sigh that came from Harry’s lips as a yes and walked him to his bedroom. Using his foot to kick open the cracked door, he helped the younger boy onto the bed. 

“Harry, love, we are gonna have to take your sweater off. You were sick all over it and I would rather you not fall asleep in your own sick. It’s not pleasant, trust me.” Louis laughed slightly. Harry opened his eyes and without saying a word, lifted his arms up like an oversized toddler to give Louis permission to remove his soiled sweater. Louis grabbed the sleeves and began to take Harry’s arms out of them. Once he had finally maneuvered Harry’s body out of the sweater, Louis grabbed a stray t-shirt that he had left on his floor and gently pulled it over Harry’s broad shoulders and onto his torso.

Harry slumped back into Louis’ bed, reaching to pull the white duvet around himself. He breathed in deeply, inhaling the smell of Louis’ washing powder and his natural scent and sighing as he breathed out. A happy noise escaped his mouth and Louis laughed softly in response. 

“Get some sleep, love. I will be downstairs if you need me, alright?” Louis said, pushing some hair out of Harry’s closed eyes. This earned him a whine and a groan, Harry forcing his heavy eyes open. His bottom lip stuck out and he whispered to Louis, reaching out to him,

“Please stay with me…”

Louis' heart melted for the millionth time that night and he nodded, not able to resist the sweet, green-eyed boy in his bed. Pulling back the duvet, Louis climbed into the bed next to Harry and pulled him to his chest. Harry buried his face and whispered something into Louis’ tattooed chest.

“What was that, love?” Louis cooed, running his fingers through the curls that he had found himself so enamored by. He was shocked by the situation they had found themselves in, but he was also ecstatic.

“I’m sorry for getting sick… I don’t know what happened…” Harry said, guilt evident in his voice. Louis laughed a little bit in response. 

“You just had a little too much to drink, H… No big deal. I did the same thing, remember? You took care of me then and I’ve got you now,” Louis said softly. Harry’s head shot up and he looked at Louis with big eyes. 

“I what?” Harry gasped, his eyes brimming with tears. “No… I don’t drink alcohol,” he whimpered. Louis thought he was kidding for a few seconds before he noticed the tears lining his big green eyes.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Most of the alcohol that you drank is already out of your system. You threw most of it up,” Louis told the boy, trying to calm him down.

“No, you don’t understand. I don’t drink and I will never drink. Not that I think any less of you for drinking, but it’s a major deal for me,” Harry continued to spew words through the tears that kept rolling down his face. Louis just held the boy and combed his fingers through the hysterical boy’s hair. After what felt like hours of crying, Harry managed to lay himself back onto Louis’ chest. 

“Your bed is really comfy,” Harry pointed out giggling, “Thank you for letting me stay the night.” Louis felt his heart race at those words. He knew that Niall would most likely crash here too, but acknowledging the fact that he would be staying the night with Harry made him feel giddy. 

“I like seeing you every day at the coffee shop. I think I’ve got a crush on you… Isn’t that weird, Lou?” Harry giggled, obviously still tipsy as words continued to spill from his lips. Louis just stared at the boy in awe, not comprehending a word past ‘crush.’ He couldn’t form any sort of response, his heart beating a mile a minute as Harry gets quiet for a split second. The next words that fall from his mouth made Louis’ heart stop in its tracks.

“I think I want to kiss you, Lou…” Harry whispered, lifting his head to look up at Louis. His eyes focused on Louis’ lips as Louis scrambled to reply.

“Harry, love, you aren’t thinking straight right now… We should just go to bed… Do you need a glass of water or anything?” Louis stammered in an attempt to change the subject. Harry frowned and shook his head.

“You don’t want to kiss me… But I thought you liked me back…” Harry whispered, his voice cracking slightly. Louis cursed to himself, knowing he had messed things up again.

“No, love. That’s not what I meant at all. It’s just I’d rather us talk about this when we are both sober and not tired,” Louis said, in an attempt to calm the boy. He just heard the boy sniffle and turn away to the other side of the queen-sized bed. Louis sighed, getting out of the bed to get the boy some pain-relieving tablets and a glass of water, knowing he would be too tired to get it in the morning. By the time Louis had come back upstairs, Harry had curled himself into the duvet and was fast asleep. Instead of disturbing the boy, he grabbed a blanket and pillow from Liam’s room and made himself comfortable on the floor. He laid there for a while thinking about the events that just took place. Hearing the music downstairs die down, he figured Liam was sending everyone home and heading to bed. Louis felt his eyes start to get heavy and soon after he fell into a deep sleep.


	5. saturday, december 19

The soft chirp of birds in the early morning woke Harry, his eyes struggling to open. He groaned and looked around at the foreign surroundings. Plush white bedding encased him and his head was throbbing. It was a headache like he had never had before. Peeling the duvet off of his sweaty body, he examined his clothes. They definitely didn’t belong to him; the shirt was baggy on his thin frame and the joggers were too short on his long legs. A moment more of investigating led to Harry’s next discovery: the boy on the floor. That was when it dawned on him that he was in Louis’ room. Louis had already been awake for an hour, playing games on his phone and waiting for Harry to finally awake from his drunken slumber. 

“Louis…?” Harry croaked, his voice heavy with rasp from his sleep. Louis sat up quickly and turned to face him, a soft smile on his face. The older boy was shirtless, exposing his tattoo-littered skin and his toned muscles. Harry looked tiny in Louis’ queen-sized bed, surrounded by the plush duvet. His face looked pained, the ache pounding in his head almost written across his face. “What happened last night, Lou?” He asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Louis stood and his knees cracked a bit as he rose. 

“You just got a little drunk, love. That’s all. You got ill and we got you all cozied up in bed,” Louis responded in a comforting tone, earning a small sigh from Harry. Louis gathered his blankets and pillows, placing them on his chair, making a mental note to take them back to Liam’s room later. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make a mess. I’ll help you clean up, if you want.” Harry stated, avoiding eye contact with Louis. Louis just shook his head and handed Harry the pain reliever tablets. Harry mumbled a quiet ‘thank you’ and grabbed the glass of water off of Louis’ small side table, where his glasses and the candle that Harry had gifted him sat. 

“Harry, do you remember anything about what you said last night?” Louis asked, giving the boy a wondering look. Harry stared at the boy for a second, shocked to hear his full name being used. He knew instantly that he must have slipped up and told the boy his name. Going by H gave him a sense of security and secrecy. He felt as if he couldn’t get too close and be hurt by someone who didn’t know his name. Harry’s mouth opened and closed a few times as he attempted to piece together any memories he had from the night before. His tongue and throat felt dry even though he had just drunk half a glass of water. After what seemed like way too long, Harry stuttered an answer.

“No… I don’t remember anything. Must’ve said something pretty silly, huh?” He forced a nervous smile, running his fingers through his tangled curls. Louis could sense the younger boy’s nerves and nodded slowly. Harry’s sage-colored eyes were puffy with sleep and they scanned the shirtless boy that sat on the edge of the bed. He felt so intimidated by the toned muscles and tattoos, but at the same time, he felt protected. The meek gaze melted Louis’ heart and he forced himself to resist planting a kiss on his thin, pink lips. 

“Well, love, I don’t think it was that silly… But, you were pretty smashed,” Louis joked, earning a grimace from Harry. Harry fidgeted with his fingers as his mind raced through the things he could have said the night before. He was anxious to get back home and out of this situation.

“What did I say?” Harry said, looking up at Louis with tired eyes. Louis shrugged nonchalantly, folding up the blanket that he had stolen from Liam’s room.

“Not all that much, really. Just something about a crush and wanting to kiss me, but that’s about it,” Louis said as he continued cleaning up his mess of a bedroom. In that moment, Harry resembled a deer in the headlights of a moving vehicle. He sat there stunned, staring at Louis in shock. Louis felt the younger boy’s eyes burning a hole in his back as he cleaned, but he waited to turn around.

“Louis, I… I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry, that was so creepy of me,” Harry whispered, just loud enough for Louis to hear him. Louis turned on his feet and frowned at him. He shook his head softly and slowly approached Harry, who was scrambling to get out of the bed. 

“Love, slow down… It’s fine, really. It’s not creepy at all, but I just wanted to have that kind of conversation when we were sober,” Louis assured him, sitting next to him on the bed once more. Harry’s tan cheeks were red with embarrassment as he avoided Louis’ eyes, his heart beating faster than it had ever gone before. “Is it true…?” Louis asked quietly, a hint of hopefulness lacing his words. Harry’s only reply was a bashful nod as he held his head in his hands. Louis turned towards the boy and grabbed his hands. Harry looked at Louis, trying to decipher how the older boy was feeling. He saw Louis’ eyes flicker from his eyes to his lips, looking at the younger boy for permission. Louis slowly moved towards Harry and placed his hand under his chin, caressing his cheek. His thumb passed over Harry’s chapped lower lip and he looked into his eyes, his voice low and quiet as he spoke,

“Can I kiss you, love?”

Harry nodded rapidly and desperately leaned forward to connect their lips. He felt Louis’ hands move to wrap around his waist. The curly-headed boy had a feeling in his stomach that he had never felt before, knowing that Louis was something different. The only word that came to mind when he thought of this feeling was intoxicating. He only hoped that Louis was feeling the same way. After what felt like an eternity, the two boys pulled away looking into each other's eyes, breathing heavily. Louis smiled and connected their lips once again, molding perfectly. Harry pulled away after a second or two, his cheeks strawberry red as he nuzzled his face into the crook of Louis' neck. Louis wrapped his arm around Harry’s shoulders, pulling him even closer.

“I’ve never kissed a guy before,” Louis said dreamily, tangling his fingers in Harry’s matted curls. Harry looked up at him with doe eyes, surprised. 

“Really?” Harry questioned. Louis nodded in response.

“I’ve kissed plenty of girls, just never a guy before,” Louis explained, earning a nod from Harry. Giggling softly, Louis planted a kiss on top of Harry’s head. The mid-morning sun began to peek through the blinds and Louis slowly began to become aware of the passing time.

“Why don’t we go get some breakfast, yeah? We’ve got plenty to eat downstairs,” Louis suggested, pulling back from the brown-haired boy and standing. He stepped to his closet to find something to wear as Harry’s feet made contact with the floor for the first time that morning. Louis couldn’t help but laugh at the appearance of the boy: his hair resembled a bird's nest and the borrowed joggers made his legs look even longer than they really were. Harry frowned exaggeratedly, crossing his arms. 

“Excuse me. Is something funny, Louis?” He grunted, feigning offense. Louis couldn’t even attempt to wipe off the stupid grin that had found its way to his face.

“You just look so cute, love. That’s all,” Louis grinned as he slipped a grey Adidas t-shirt over his head. A blush slipped across Harry’s cheeks, which had happened numerous times already this morning, and he was too giddy to formulate a response. He stood and slowly walked to Louis as his head continued throbbing a bit from his hangover. Louis turned to him and snaked his arm around his slender waist, pulling him close once more and kissing him softly.

The kiss was interrupted by the creaking of Louis’ bedroom door and Niall’s voice calling for his best mate. Harry jumped at the sound and looked at Niall with wide eyes, Louis looking down at the floor. Niall’s face is plastered with a huge grin.

“Liam! Get your ass up here! I told you!” Niall yelled, running out of the room. Harry looked at Louis with a mortified expression, his mouth hanging open in surprise and his eyes filling with panic. Louis’ expression nearly matched Harry’s as Liam and Niall appeared back in the doorway.

“You owe me a tenner, mate! Just look at ‘em.” Niall told Liam, nudging his side. Liam just chuckled and gave Louis a proud look. 

“Alright then. How was your night, you two?” Louis asked, trying to change the subject. Liam noticed the way that Louis had wrapped his arms around Harry’s waist, realizing their fondness for each other.

“It was probably rubbish compared to yours, huh? You know...” Niall said, wiggling his eyebrows at the two. Harry groaned and pressed his face into Louis’ chest, shaking his head. Seeing the embarrassment rise to Louis’ cheeks, Liam shoved Niall out of the bedroom. 

“Harry, I made breakfast earlier. It’s downstairs if you want some. Uh, Lou, could I talk to you for a second?” Liam asked, giving Louis a smile. Harry just gave a nod and kissed Louis’ forehead. As he made his way out of the room, Liam patted his shoulder and ruffled the boy’s curly hair. 

“What’s up, Li?” Louis asked, turning Liam’s attention towards him. Liam made his way to Louis and engulfed him in a hug. 

“Mate, I’m so proud of you. You have no idea how happy I am for you.” Liam told the boy, giving him a smile. Louis just covered his face with his hands and laughed at his best friend, pushing him slightly. As they made their way out of the bedroom, Liam laughed along with Louis, going downstairs to join Niall and Harry for breakfast.

After a quick meal of waffles and bacon, Harry’s phone buzzed repeatedly on the dining room table. He picked it up, his fingers sticky from the maple syrup. Louis watched him as he scrolled through the messages he had received.

“Niall, my mum is blowing up my phone. We’ve got to get going soon,” Harry said, nudging Niall’s side. Niall nodded and stood up.

“Where is all of your stuff? We can head out now,” Niall responded, taking the dirty dishes from the table to the sink. Harry shrugged and stood up. He looked down at his mismatched outfit compiled of Louis clothes, smiling softly to himself for a second before remembering where his own clothes were.

“My clothes are somewhere covered in vomit,” Harry groaned and ran a hand through his greasy, knotted hair.

“Love, don’t worry about it. I’ll wash your clothes and bring them to you later.” Louis told the stressed-out boy. Harry mumbled a slight ‘thank you’ and grabbed Louis’ face, giving him a rushed peck on the lips. Louis felt his cheeks turn red, not used to the sudden PDA. Harry grabbed Louis’ hand, dragging him upstairs to collect his things.

“Do you remember what I did with my phone last night, Lou?” Harry asks, lifting the sheets and comforter on Louis’ bed, looking for his cell phone. He turned around facing Louis, to see him holding the device in his hands. Harry giggled and shuffled over to Louis, grabbing the phone and kissing the boy’s cheek. 

“Walk me out?” Harry asked sweetly, looking down at Louis. Louis grinned and nodded as he grasped Harry’s empty hand. The two boys walked down the stairs and to the living room where the other’s sat watching TV.

“Text me when you get home, yeah?” Louis told the boy, squeezing his hips. Harry leaned into Louis’ touch and nodded, really not wanting to leave. He whined quietly as he hugged Louis and buried his face in his neck. Niall stood up from the sofa and chuckled,

“Alright, loverboy. We have to leave or Anne will kill me for keeping you out so long.” Harry groaned and pulled away, Louis kissing him softly.

“Go on, love. I’ll talk to you soon,” Louis smiled and Harry nodded, waving a little as he and Niall left the flat. Louis flopped down on the sofa next to Liam with a content grin on his face. Liam punched his shoulder and laughed.

“I told you, mate! So, are things official?” Liam pestered.

“I’m not really sure. It’s a bit confusing at the moment.” Louis replied honestly, not really knowing where he stood with the curly-headed boy. He wanted to be able to take the boy out and show him off. Harry made him feel different; he didn’t have to hide who he truly was. Louis knew that he felt a strong pull towards the boy. He loved the way Harry’s nose crinkled when he laughed, the way he stuck his tongue out when he truly concentrated on his work, and the way he danced like he doesn’t have a care in the world. His heart fluttered at the mere thought of the boy, his stomach overwhelmed with butterflies that felt closer to a flock of birds. Overflowing with thoughts, Louis’ mind raced as he went back to his bedroom. The room was a total mess: his white duvet was bunched up in a pile on the floor, Harry’s nearly empty glass sat on the table, and the soiled stack of Harry’s vomit-stained garment remained in the front of Louis’ disorganized closet. He smiled softly to himself, knowing that the clothes were just another excuse to see H again.

Louis really was confused about the status of his and Harry’s relationship. They kissed but he still felt as if he needed a reason to visit; they had full-on snogged, yet Louis felt unsure if Harry liked him back. His phone felt like a brick in his pocket as he tidied his room, begging for his attention. The state of his room embarrassed him slightly. What a great first impression, Louis thought, for Harry to see his room looking like a pigsty. Once his room was finally tidy, Louis flopped onto his bed and pulled out his phone to see the notifications on his lock screen.

_“I made it home, Lou - H x”_

_“Thank you for taking good care of me last night - H x”_

_“Hopping into the shower now, I smell :P - H x”_

Louis felt his face warm as he read the messages. He contemplated texting the boy back to ask him out officially. Every sentence that he wrote, he erased immediately. The boy was afraid that Harry didn’t feel the same way that he did. He opted for just a simple, 

“ _I’m glad you came last night . Xx”_

_“Oh god , that’s not what I meant . It was nice waking up to you this morning .”_

_“Fuck , I give up . Enjoy your shower , love .”_

Louis groaned and dropped his phone on his chest, not expecting a response for at least a little while. He closed his eyes and began to plot how he would proceed with this whole situation. He had never been in a real relationship before, only a few flings with a couple of girls from secondary school. This potential relationship was important to him and he was terrified to ruin things between him and Harry. He had to come up with a way to make the green-eyed barista his boyfriend; he needed ideas and needed them quickly because he couldn't wait long. Where could he get a good date idea? Grabbing the remote to his TV, he decided to look up romantic comedies on Netflix and see what he could find. With it being so close to Christmas, cheesy cliche Hallmark movies littered the front page of the streaming service. Seeing the smiling faces of couples standing in the snow made a warmth flood his chest and a longing feeling overtook him. He wished so badly to have Harry back in his bed, under his blankets and curled up to his chest. Shaking the thought away, Louis selected the first film he saw.

Movie after movie played, filling Louis’ mind with romantic ideas. He was so invested in the movies that he didn’t even notice his phone buzzing at the foot of the bed. Somehow, he ended up watching four romantic comedies and had a list of mental notes a mile long. He stretched, the past few hours feeling like they had melted away. Louis pulled himself out of the bed and grabbed his phone, checking his notifications.

_“You are a hoot - H x”_

_“Probably no more parties for me, though. - H x”_

_“Is it creepy to say I miss you already? - H x”_

_“If it is, oops. - H xxxx”_

Louis instantly felt giddy, shoving the phone deep into his pockets. He felt like a teenage girl, a skip in his step as he went downstairs to grab a late lunch. He had been so distracted by the film marathon that he had forgotten to eat, and it was nearly three in the afternoon. The leftover food from last night had been cleaned up by Liam, leaving Louis with limited options on food. He opted to just grab a sandwich from the fridge, hoping that would tide him over until Liam made dinner. As if on cue, Liam groggily made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“How you feeling, mate? Did you finally get some rest?” Louis asked his best friend, genuinely. 

“Just give me a minute, Lou. I just woke up and need a cuppa before we have a real conversation.” Liam groaned and grabbed a mug from their cupboard. Louis laughed and nodded, very obviously in a good mood. His cheeky smile and rosy cheeks earned a raised eyebrow from his best friend. Louis avoided the glance and continued to eat his sandwich. He could feel himself wanting to burst and tell Liam all of his plans to ask Harry on a proper date, but he didn’t want to jinx things. What if Harry said no? What if the date turned out horribly? He didn’t want to get Liam too excited in case things didn’t work out. Half of him was worried about getting Liam’s hopes up, but the other half was worried about himself. He didn’t know if he could handle the rejection that could come with this. Technically, he’s only really known Harry for five days, and even then they barely know anything about each other. His infatuation had been around a lot longer than that. Louis longed to know more about the curly-headed boy. He wanted to know everything about him down to the tiniest detail. Inside and out, backwards and forwards, Louis wanted to know him. Feeling a boost of confidence, he pulled his phone out to text Harry. 

“ _No worries , love . I miss you too . Xx”_

_“ I need help with something though . I’d like to do something nice for my mum , but I need help deciding which type of flowers to get .”_

_“What flowers are the nicest ?”_

Louis’ story was a complete ploy to find out which flowers the young boy liked. This was the first part of his plan to ask Harry out on a date. He wanted everything to be perfect and the only way to make that happen was to figure out what the young boy liked. Feeling his phone buzz in his pocket, he walked into the living room and slumped onto the sofa. He pulled it out to see a quick reply from Harry.

“ _I’d love to help! I take flowers to the farmer’s market back home during summer! - H x”_

_“Personally, I would say that buttercups are my favorite, but I also enjoy queen Anne’s lace. They remind me of my mum. - H x”_

_“I hope that helps a little bit. - H xxx”_

Louis nodded to himself at this reply, not able to keep the small smile off of his lips as he sent a quick thanks back to Harry. He’d have to google that, of course, because he had no clue when it came to flowers. The mental picture of Harry loading bundles of flowers onto a farmers’ market stall made him giddy, but he had to push down the giggles rising up his throat. Pulling up a google search on his phone, Louis tapped in the name of the flowers Harry had suggested.

The image search resulted in photos of yellow and white flowers that resembled the wildflowers in the Northern England countryside. Louis smiled to himself as he saved a few photos to his camera roll. Now, onto the next phase of his plan. He had to execute the perfect date; he wanted everything to be so enchanting that there would be no way Harry could say no to being his boyfriend.

_“What r u up to next weekend ? xx”_

_“If ur busy , no prob .”_

_“Just wonderin . xxxx”_

Louis shot a few quick texts to Harry, his fingers feeling fuzzy and his palms sweating with the nerves he felt. This was so unusual for Louis. He was not the one to get nervous asking girls out. He was popular, he was attractive, and he had a tough exterior. The nerves, the butterflies, and the crippling fear of rejection was new. His thoughts are interrupted by a chime from his phone.

_“My days off are Friday and Saturday, why? - H xx”_

_“Not busy at all - H xx”_

_“No plans……… - H xxxxxxxxx”_

Harry’s excitement was evident in his text, and he swore to himself that it was as subtle as he could have made it. Louis’ smile was contagious as Liam walked into the living room. 

“What are you so happy about, mate? That’s the cheekiest grin I’ve seen from you in ages,” Liam laughed, jabbing his finger into Louis’ rib. Louis shook his head in an attempt to hide the smile, but it was actually impossible.

“It’s that curly boy, isn’t it?” Liam beamed. His heart swelled seeing his best friend so happy. Louis grabbed the throw pillow next to him and lightly chucked it at the smiling boy. Liam caught the pillow and moved to sit next to Louis on the sofa. 

“I’m askin’ him on a date tomorrow,” Louis told his best friend, “It’s gonna be perfect, mate.” Liam looked at the boy, noticing the redness building on his cheeks.

“You’re really serious about this boy, yeah? I just want to make sure you don’t get your heart broken.” Liam asked the boy, knowing his history with relationships. But, admittedly, he could tell that Harry wasn’t the heartbreaker type.

“I promise this is different, Li. I can’t stop thinking about him and I’m done caring about what other people think. I like him a lot,” Louis admitted out loud for the first time. He instantly blushed and felt embarrassed for a moment, but he was met with a grin from his best friend.

“Well, then, I give you my blessing,” Liam joked and poked a finger into Louis’ rib. Louis laughed and shook his head.

“Thanks, dad,” he mocked, unable to wipe the smile from his lips. It was the first time in a long time that he felt this happy. There was nothing in the back of his mind, nothing nagging at him, nothing to stop him from feeling good, and god damnit, he liked it. The only thing he could think about was Harry.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, he would show up at the coffee shop with a bouquet of flowers, and he would finally have the balls to ask. As Louis showered and crawled into bed that night, he grabbed his phone to send the sweet, curly-headed boy a goodnight text.

_“G’nite , love . Big day tomorrow . XXX”_

_“See u for tea in the morn ? XXX”_

Louis didn’t even have to wait for a response.

_“Counting the minutes. H xxx”_

_“Sleep well, Lou <3 H xxx” _


	6. sunday, december 20.

Louis was nervous. His hands shook and his fingertips drummed on the leather of his steering wheel as he drove to the flower shop. He had ordered Harry’s flowers and was eager and ready to pick them up. The clock was nearing nine in the morning, and the big moment was getting closer and closer. He hated to admit it, but God was he scared. There was so much to be scared about. What if it all went wrong? What if Harry said no? What if the boy got embarrassed by being asked out in public? What if he was overthinking this whole entire thing?

Shaking away the anxious thoughts, Louis parked in front of the small florists' shop and zipped his jacket before heading inside. The inside of the shop was full of different floral arrangements and greenery. He couldn’t help but smile. They all were so beautiful and they all reminded him of the curly-haired boy. He wanted so badly to buy every flower in every single color and give all them to the beautiful, beautiful boy who ruled his every thought. Running a hand through his hair and collecting his thoughts, Louis shook it off once more. He had to stay focused and lose the distractions if he wanted this to go perfectly.

Louis approached the counter and smiled cooly at the woman standing behind it. She looked to be in her late sixties or early seventies and she reminded Louis of his nan. Her eyes were warm and surrounded by wrinkled skin that showed the many smiles she had shared over her lifetime. The smile she gave Louis settled his soul for a moment as she spoke in a soft, welcoming tone.

“Good morning, dearie. How can I help you?” The woman questioned, setting aside a spool of pink ribbon that she had been tending to. Louis smiled in response as he fidgeted with his fingers.

“Good morning, ma’am… I had an order for a few bouquets. Under the name L. Tomlinson, I believe,” Louis spoke politely, nerves continuing to pool in his empty stomach. He had been too nervous for breakfast, but he figured he could grab a bite from the coffee shop after everything was said and done. The woman, who he could now see was wearing a name tag with neat but shaky cursive writing on it, nodded once and promptly turned to go to the back of the shop. Looking around at the premade arrangements, Louis’ shaky fingers couldn’t help but caress the petals and leaves of the plants. Sprigs of lavender mixed with white roses, light pink peonies nestled in bundles of baby’s breath, and an armful of pastel tulips all called Louis. He ached so badly to bring the world to Harry, and shit, he figured flowers were a start. From the tin buckets they were residing in, Louis plucked the bouquets and held them in his arms. The florist came back with two bundles of flowers, one yellow and one white. Just like Harry had said, Louis had picked buttercups and Queen Anne’s lace. The woman smiled at Louis, and he had to admit that he must be quite the sight. There he stood in a black shirt, black jeans, and a grey wool coat with his arms full of flowers. He shuddered a bit at the thought. He was never the romantic kind, but he wasn’t even trying to be romantic. He felt like even five huge bouquets weren’t enough for his Harry. The thought of Harry being _his_ Harry made his stomach tie into knots and he felt his fingers get fuzzy. A ding from the till dragged him from his thoughts.

“What a lucky lady you’ve got, dearie. What’s the occasion?” The florist smiled. Louis’ eyes floated down to her name tag, which bore the same name as the sign out front. Ms. Elsie must be the owner, he thought. Not even processing the ‘lucky lady’ comment, words began to spew from Louis’ mouth.

“I’m asking Harry on our first date. I’ve never done this before, Ms. Elsie, so I want to do it correctly... I don’t know why but I’m really afraid,” Louis sighed, setting the rest of the flowers on the counter as he spoke. Ms. Elsie nodded, her thin-framed glasses sliding down her nose a bit. She smiled warmly and it embraced Louis like a hug. 

“Harry? Well, that boy would be a nut to say no. You’ve never done this before, but I couldn’t have guessed it. Dearie, he’ll love it,” she assured Louis as she looked at him over the frames, gently taking hold of his hand. She grasped it tightly in reassurance and quickly let go before continuing to enter the pricing on the till. Louis couldn’t speak and couldn’t describe the safety he felt while talking to Ms. Elsie, who he had never met before. He had barely admitted to himself that he liked, or was absolutely head over heels smitten, with another man, let alone a stranger. He was still coming to terms with what he was; as much as he hated it, he was desperate to label his feelings. He wasn’t gay. He wasn’t bi. He just liked Harry. 

“I will be right back, dear. I’m gonna go grab some ribbon to tie these up all pretty for Harry,” Ms. Elsie smiled before quickly telling Louis how much he owed. For the amount of flowers he had picked up, it seemed really cheap. He raised an eyebrow at the woman when she came back to him, now brandishing a spool of cool, pastel blue ribbon.

“Ms. Elsie, there is no way that’s enough to cover all this,” Louis said.

Ms. Elsie’s greying curls bounced as she shook her head.

“That’s all. It covers your buttercups and queen Anne’s lace that you ordered. The rest of those bouquets are on me. Quite obviously those were meant to go to Harry,” she responded, expertly tying a beautiful bow around the brown tissue paper that wrapped the arrangements. Louis’ eyes widened a little, his heart fluttering a little at her words as he felt his emotions rise in his chest. This woman was an angel on earth, Louis thought to himself.

“I couldn’t do that, ma’am… How much do I really owe you?” He asked, pushing down the lump in his throat. Elsie’s brown eyes had a kindness in them that reminded Louis of his own mum. She used a manicured finger to push up her glasses as she smiled in reply,

“Go ask that boy on a proper date, love.”

Thank you’s flowed from Louis as he gathered his purchases and left a generous tip in the glass jar on the counter. He rushed to his car, setting the flowers in his passenger seat and pulling out his phone. Against his better judgment and knowing the boy was working, Louis decided he couldn’t wait for a reply from Harry and he scrolled through his contacts to find his number. Shakily, he tapped on the ‘H x’ on his crushed screen. The phone rang once, twice, and three times before the line opened up to Harry’s velvety voice.

“Lou? You alright?” Harry answered, obviously confused. Louis never called, only texted. The shop was nearly dead, as most people in town were either headed for Sunday worship services or still in bed. Louis cleared his throat and tried to rid his voice of the ever-present nerves.

“Morning, love. Sorry I didn’t text this morning. And sorry for calling now, I know you’re at work. I just couldn’t wait to hear from you,” Louis’ voice cracked and he cursed himself. Not only did he sound nervous, but he sounded hopeless from the start. His internal scolding was quelled by the sound of Harry’s soft laughter.

“Not a problem at all, Lou. Promise. It’s amazing to hear your voice… I’ve missed you, even though I saw you yesterday.” Harry giggled, but Louis could sense something shaky in his voice as well. Was he just as nervous as Louis? Louis hoped not because he knew how unbearable it felt to be unsure of every step he took. Taking in a deep breath, Louis continued. His attempt to hold his confident facade was crumbling by the minute.

“I’ve missed you too, love. Hey, is the shop busy? I was out and about and I was thinking about stopping by for a cuppa. Whaddya think, H? Can you squeeze me in?” He said cooly. Much better, he thought to himself. Much less nervous and desperate, more flirty. He heard a giddy giggle and Harry responded a little too quickly.

“Of course, Lou. Whole place is empty, just me,” he blurted out, earning a relieved laugh from Louis. 

“Alright, love. I’ll be there in 5. See you then, yeah?” Louis curled the ribbons of one of the bouquets around his finger as he spoke. Hearing Harry’s nerves made his melt away just slightly. The curly-haired boy was nervous about a phone call and didn’t even have a clue about Louis’ carload of flowers. Did that mean he really did like him? God, Louis hoped so.

“Can’t wait, Lou…” Harry said breathlessly into the phone, making Louis shiver as the line disconnected. His foot pressed the pedal to the floor, making the five-minute drive into two and a half. He had barely slept all night because he had been rehearsing and perfecting his lines, but even through his short drive, he caught himself practicing what he would say to the boy who caused the butterflies in his stomach to transform into birds. He felt himself park in the empty lot and thanked God for muscle memory. His heart thumped in his chest and his ears rang a little as he sat to compose himself before going inside and facing the green eyes that could change his life.

The bell above Fig and Sparrow’s glass door twinkled as it opened. Louis slowly walked in toting five bouquets, anxiety written all over his face. When he saw Harry kneeling behind the counter, he took a deep breath to regain his cool and collected composure.

“Hi, Harry… Can we talk?” He asked softly, a smile growing on his face as Harry stood and their eyes met. His green eyes were the size of the brownie plates that were stacked in front of him. His tanned fingers came up to cover his mouth as he stood there speechless. After a few seconds of attempting to form words, Harry only nodded. Louis motioned for Harry to come to him, sitting in his usual seat. He slowly approached in disbelief and his cheeks were cherry red as Louis began to speak.

“H, love… I…” He started. Everything he had rehearsed, everything he had planned was gone as he sat in front of Harry. Harry had tears welling in his eyes and Louis’ heart began to flutter even faster, panic setting in. What the hell happened to the Louis that pulled girls like it was nothing? What happened to the Louis who was big and bad? Where the hell had he gone? This Louis needed him back ASAP.

“I just want to give you the world… Please, let me try,” Louis croaked, his eyes now watering as well. Harry ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes, a tear sliding down his cheek. All it took was one tear from Harry for Louis to push aside his own fear. He set the flowers on the table next to them and frowned.

“Harry, what’s wrong? Love, I’m sorry, don’t cry,” Louis hummed, grabbing Harry’s other hand. He imitated the comforting gesture from Elsie that made him feel so much better, stroking his thumb over Harry’s knuckles. Harry slowly opened his eyes and grabbed Louis’ hand tightly.

“I want to, Louis… More than anything. I’m just scared,” Harry admitted under his breath, his hand shaking a little. Fuck, Louis thought. He had forgotten how young Harry was. The boy was just barely getting into the world, of course this was new and scary to him. Louis had experience, and he had plenty, but Harry had little to none. He felt so deeply a need to protect the younger boy. He nodded in response to Harry’s words, reaching with his free hand to wipe the tears from the green-eyed boy’s cheek.

“I know, Harry… I am too, but I promise, I will take care of you… I promise,” Louis assured, holding Harry’s cheek gently. Harry’s eyes rose from the table to meet Louis’ and Louis could feel an electric pulse in his chest as Harry spoke once again.

“Y-You can try, Lou… I want to try, too,” Harry whispered, his eyes gleaming with tears. Louis nodded rapidly and stood up from his seat. He pulled Harry into a hug, grasping the back of his head and holding him as close as possible. The boy in his arms melted into him, his body shaking as he cried. Louis could’ve cried for different reasons, but he could tell that Harry was overwhelmed. After a moment, they pulled away and sat back at the table in silence before Harry spoke up.

“I’ve only ever been with one person, Lou, and it didn’t work. That’s why I’m scared. I don’t want this to not work,” Harry said almost too quietly for Louis to hear. Louis’ heart cracked at the boy’s statement and he nodded. Taking his hands once more, Louis squeezed them tightly.

“I understand, H… We can take it slow, no need to rush anything… How about we start out with a first date? We can really get to know each other and spend some time together, and we’ll go from there, okay? Nothing has to be official yet,” Louis assured Harry, who sniffled and nodded with a soft smile on his face.

“I’d love that, Lou… Thank you.” Harry’s lips turned up into a small smile as he kissed the top of Louis’ hand. Louis’ heart skipped a beat and he grinned, getting the instant urge to kiss the boy sitting in front of him. 

“I’ve got to get back to work, Louis… Thank you for the flowers and for… everything… Thank you,” Harry smiled shyly, standing from the chair and straightening his apron. Louis nodded and his eyes crinkled with his wide smile. He bent down and picked up the bouquets from the table. Harry laughed a little as he rubbed his eye with the back of his hand. He had nowhere to put the flowers until his shift ended and he had no clue how he would get them all home. Louis seemed to read his mind. 

“I can hold onto these for you… Do you need a ride home tonight? I can drop you off at home and you can take them in then,” Louis offered, reaching to push a curl behind Harry’s ear. 

“Only if you don’t mind, Lou,” Harry answered, looking down at his feet. Louis shook his head and laughed, pulling Harry into a hug.

“Not at all, babe,” Louis said, tiptoeing gently around the new pet name as they pulled away from the hug. “Text me when you’re off, alright? I will be back here when you’re ready.” Harry nodded and giggled, his smile growing wider. The boys’ eyes met and the urge to kiss Harry was stronger than before. He leaned closer to the brown-haired boy, the space between their faces getting smaller and smaller before Louis’ quiet voice broke the silence.

“May I kiss you, love?” Louis asked softly.

“I’m not sure if I’m ready yet, Lou… When we kissed at your house, it was a lot really fast… I-I’m sorry. I just don’t want to mess this up, okay?” Harry stammered, stepping back slightly. The rejection stung slightly, Louis couldn’t lie, but he tried his hardest to understand. He nodded gently and tossed Harry a sad smile.

“Of course, H. Don’t you sweat it, no reason to be sorry. How about one last hug before I go?” Louis offered, trying not to pressure Harry. Of course he would’ve loved to move quickly with Harry. He would have loved to snog the boy until their lips were swollen and his hands were tangled in the chestnut colored curls. But, Harry being comfortable was the most important thing to him right now. Who the fuck had hurt Harry so bad before him? Louis was curious, but the thought of Harry being unhappy and heartbroken was a little too intense for him in that moment. Harry smiled softly and nodded in response as he snaked his long, tanned arms around Louis’ neck. One of Louis’ tattooed arms wrapped tightly around Harry’s thin torso. Burying his face in Louis’ neck, Harry sighed contentedly as Louis placed several soft kisses on the top of his head. Louis breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of Harry’s vanilla scented shampoo. He couldn’t help but smile widely because how fitting was that?

The boys could’ve stayed in that hug for hours, but the bell dinged once again and alerted Harry to a customer’s presence. Harry pulled away and shot a smile to Louis, pecking him on the forehead and whispering a ‘see you soon’ before heading back to work. Louis grinned and headed back out to the car with a bounce in his step and his arms full of flowers. Putting the flowers in his back seat, he hopped in the driver’s seat and couldn’t help but celebrate out loud. He couldn’t believe that this had actually happened. He felt like this called for some major celebration. The volume knob on his radio was turned to its loudest setting as Louis began to drive back to his flat, sappy love songs that Louis had never understood playing at top volume as he drove.

The car rolled to a stop in Louis’ usual parking spot and he turned the music down as he turned off the engine. He was ecstatic; he felt like he was walking on air. Most of all, he couldn’t wait to tell Liam. When Louis walked into the house, the energy was radiating from Louis, and Liam could just tell that he was elated. Liam grinned at his best friend as he walked past with a bushel of colorful flowers.

“So, mate… How’d it go? I thought you only ordered two kinds of flowers,” Liam laughed as Louis set them on the table. 

“Mate, he fuckin’ said yes!” Louis shouted, flopping face down on the couch. He really was buzzing, his heart still racing in his chest every time he revisited the morning’s events. Liam smiled and sat down next to him.

“That’s amazing, Lou. I’m happy for you, really. Just take it easy on the guy, okay? Don’t get too ahead of yourself,” Liam said, patting Louis’ shoulder. Louis frowned and nodded slowly. Why did everyone think that his first goal was to get Harry into bed and mess around with him? Granted he had quite the reputation from the past, they may have been valid. 

“I don’t know why everyone thinks that I’m so predatory or something. I don’t just want to fuck him. Liam, this is different,” Louis sighed. Liam had seen Louis shuffle through girls over the years, but something in Louis’ voice made him believe him. Liam nodded and sighed.

“It’s not that, Louis. It’s just- I talked a little to Niall about Harry this morning… He’s been through some shit, dude. You need to be careful or it could end up with someone getting hurt, and I don’t really think it would be you,” Liam explained warily. Louis’ eyebrow raised in confusion.

“What the hell are you talking about? What happened to him?” He questioned as he sat up. Why did Liam know more about his Harry than he did? And why the hell did it piss him off so bad? 

“It’s not my place to tell, but his ex was a piece of shit. That’s all I can say. Just be good to the kid, alright?” Liam sighed, running his hand through his hair. Louis only nodded in response as he stood from the couch. His mind was racing. What the hell had happened? His blood was boiling at the thought of Harry being mistreated. He went upstairs, his footsteps heavy with emotion, although he couldn’t quite decipher his feelings. Falling face first into his unmade bed, he waited for the time to come to drive Harry home. 

A few hours later, at around four o’clock in the afternoon, Louis’ phone buzzed. Louis’ heart skipped a beat as he picked up the phone to check the notification.

_“Hi - H xxxx”_

_“I’m all done at work, if you still don’t mind giving me a ride. - H xxxx”_

Louis smiled, not even responding before running downstairs to grab his coat and head out. Liam looked up from his textbook to ask where he was going. Giving a short answer as he grabbed Harry’s flowers, Louis slipped out of the door and to his car. The car ride was silent, but Louis’ mind was not. He was nervous and excited and he couldn’t wait to see Harry again. His car rolled to a stop and he could see Harry locking the front door of the shop as he parked. 

Harry looked exhausted as he climbed into Louis’ passenger seat. Louis looked to him with a small smile, slowly reaching to take his hand. 

“Hi, love… How was work?” Louis inquired sweetly. He stroked the back of Harry’s knuckles with his thumb and looked to him for an answer. He wanted so badly to hold the boy as he looked so small and so tired. Louis just wanted to make him feel better.

“It was alright, thank you… I’m just tired,” Harry said, forcing a small smile. Louis frowned, noticing that something just wasn’t right. Sighing softly, Louis squeezed the younger boy’s hand in his.

“Is something else wrong?” Louis coaxed. Harry shrugged, using his free hand to harshly rub his eyes. Louis could tell he was lying.

“You can tell me, love. Anything. You tell me what’s wrong and I’ll make it better.”

Louis' words caused something in Harry to snap and he started to cry. The older boy’s heart ached at the sight and he couldn’t help but pull Harry into a tight hug. Harry’s tall frame melted into Louis’ chest at the contact.

“Just overwhelmed… School, work, and everything else… It’s hard,” Harry cried as Louis tangled his fingers in the boy’s matted curls. He felt safe in Louis’ arms in the parking lot, the sun startling to settle in for the night as the moon rose to take its place. His cries slowed after a few minutes, reducing to hiccups and sniffles. Louis hummed and brushed through Harry’s hair with his fingers. He truthfully enjoyed comforting the boy, even though it hurt him deeply to see the boy so upset. Soon, Harry was composed enough to lift his head.

“Louis, I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to cry on you twice in one day. Just been a crazy few days is all,” Harry said softly but was interrupted by Louis leaning across the console to kiss his forehead.

“No sorries, love. I’m here to make it all better, remember?” 

The car ride was silent as they drove to Harry’s house. His mum’s van was in the driveway but all of the lights were off in the house. When the car came to a stop, Harry began to climb out and grab the flowers. Louis stepped out to assist him and Harry blushed as they approached the front door.

“Thank you so much for today, Lou… Really…” Harry said, hiding behind a few curls. Louis grinned and used his free hand to tuck the stray hairs behind his ear.

“Of course, love… How does next Friday sound for our date, hm? I can pick you up here at five and we’ll grab dinner. Whaddya think?” He suggested. Harry nodded and smiled at Louis, his green eyes lit up despite the bags beneath them.

“I would love that,” Harry said softly, his breath catching in his throat. Louis nodded and smiled, kissing the boy on the cheek as he handed him the rest of the flowers. Harry blushed wildly and opened the door.

“Talk to you soon, Lou,” Harry whispered as he slipped into the dark house. Louis went back to his car and slumped in the driver’s seat. The love songs from earlier made another appearance, once again at top volume.


	7. friday, december 26

The sun shone through the windshield of Louis’ car as he and Liam drove home from his mum’s house. They spent Christmas there with Louis’ large family. Over the years, it had become a tradition for them to spend the holidays together. Liam’s familial situation had gone south once he started attending university. His parents weren’t fond of him going into law, straying from the doctoral path that the rest of his family had taken. Struggling financially after the first year of university, he desperately asked his parents for help. They heartlessly rejected Liam’s pleas for help, resulting in the boy cutting off his connection to his family. 

Louis’ mum had offered to help the boy by offering him a job at her diner where Louis worked in high school. From then on, Johannah had become the mother-figure for Liam. She insisted the boy come over for family dinner every Monday and even helped him through some of his difficult classes at uni. 

Louis’ fingers nervously tapped the steering wheel as he drove with Liam sitting in the passenger’s seat silently. They were pretty tired out from playing with all of Louis’ little sisters, but Louis was silent for another reason. He was mind-numbingly nervous and excited. His first date with Harry was tonight. The plans for the night raced through his mind repeatedly as he drove and the humming of the motor blended in with the radio. Liam could sense his best friend’s nerves, sighing slightly.

“Mate, I have no clue why you’re so nervous. Harry obviously likes you already, the date doesn’t have to be perfect,” Liam pointed out as he turned the radio down a few notches. Louis quickly glanced at him. He did have a point, after all. Harry and Louis texted all day every day and Louis still spent almost all of his free time at the coffee shop. He still had the feeling that this date had to be perfect, almost as a way to prove himself to the barista. 

The boys spent the next thirty minutes in comfortable silence, the only noise being the slight hum of the radio. Louis’ car rolled into the driveway of their flat. Making their way inside, Louis and Liam shed their coats at the front door. Louis went straight to his room and stripped to his boxer shorts. He stuffed his dirty clothes into the hamper which needed desperately to be emptied. His phone buzzed on the dresser and he reached for it to see a text from Harry.

_“Good morning, Lou. Can’t wait to see you tonight. - H xxx”_

Louis’ heart skipped a beat at the words and he pursed his lips, forcing a deep breath through them.

_“Me either , love . Can I be honest with ya ?”_

Instantly, Harry responded. It was as if he was waiting for Louis to text him back, because he definitely was.

“ _Always. - H x”_

Louis sighed, his sweaty hands clasping his new iPhone that his mum had gotten him for Christmas. No more smashed screen from his drunken night on the town.

_“I’m nervous … Are u ? x”_

Again, Harry’s response was instant.

_“Terrified. - H xxx”_

A weight lifted from Louis’ shoulders. Thank god he wasn’t the only one who felt like tonight was a big deal. Digging through his dresser and criticizing his own fashion choice, he searched for the perfect outfit for their date. He had big plans for the night. He found a pair of black trousers and pulled them out, attempting to shake the wrinkles from them. In his closet, he managed to find a white button-up shirt and a black blazer. That ought to work, Louis thought to himself. All they needed was a quick run with the iron and it would be perfect.

Still only in his boxers, Louis trotted down the stairs to find Liam and Niall sitting on the sofa and chatting. Louis didn’t even blink at the sight and held up the clothes, which were now all on hangers.

“Liam, how much do you love me?” Louis whined, standing at the bottom of the staircase and holding out the garments towards his best friend. Liam laughed and shrugged a bit.

“Not enough to enjoy seeing you nearly naked. What do you want from me, mate?” Liam asked as he stretched his arms across the back of the sofa. Louis rolled his eyes.

“Don’t act like it’s not a privilege to see me like this, Payno,” Louis scoffed before lowering his outstretched arm. “I need you to press my clothes. They’re all wrinkled and if I wear them like this, I’ll look like an arse.”

“You can’t press your own clothes, mate?” Niall added with a loud laugh.

Louis gave Niall a look and shook his head.

“Of course not. I’d burn them to shit, Horan. Gimme a break,” Louis said.

Liam laughed and nodded, agreeing to press the outfit. He did not want a repeat of their first year of university. They were attending a formal for one of Liam’s student organizations and Louis melted a hole all the way through the leg of his trousers, setting off the smoke alarms and evacuating the dorm. Liam did not want to be sent out into the cold weather without trousers once again.

“Sweet, Payno. I owe you. Big time,” Louis gushed, hanging the clothes from the banister. Niall wiggled his eyebrows at Louis and leaned forward in his seat on the sofa.

“So, Tommo… Big night planned, huh? Curly has not stopped talking about it since you asked him out. You’d think the boyo was a teenage girl,” Niall giggled, clasping his hands together at his chin and using a giddy voice with a sad excuse of a Cheshire accent to imitate Harry. “Oh, Louis! What should I wear? What if I say something stupid? What if I mess it up?! Oh, Louis and his blue eyes and his tattoos!” Niall gushed in his Harry impression, making Louis’ cheeks light up like a neon sign.

“Are you being serious? Does he actually talk about me?” Louis inquired, hiding a bit behind his fringe. Niall raised his eyebrows and nodded as if it was obvious.

“The kid is smitten, mate. So, what’s the plan? You plannin’ to score?” Niall asked nonchalantly as he leaned back into the sofa cushions. Louis’ cheeks flushed even more, which he didn’t know was possible. He knew he had the reputation of being an easy score, especially around the Manchester party scene, but he hadn’t even thought about that. Of course, he wouldn’t hesitate, Harry was beautiful, but he had never had sex with a guy before. It just wasn’t in the cards for tonight, he thought. It wasn’t written into the plans.

“I mean, no, I didn’t plan on it… I didn’t… I didn’t think about it, I mean. If it happened, I wouldn’t stop it,” Louis bumbled, his face and ears burning. Liam laughed warmly as Niall cackled. 

“You want to fuck Harry!” Niall hooted, slapping his thigh as he laughed. Louis furrowed his brow.

“Mate, you’d fuck anything with a hole in it. Piss off,” Louis groaned and Liam snorted at the remark. As expected, Niall just continued to gasp for breath as he roared with laughter. Louis shook his head and adjusted his fringe. After a few deep breaths, Niall finally composed himself.

“But seriously though, Tommo, be careful with Curly. He’s been through some shit. You’ve got no idea,” Niall warned, wiping his eyes. Louis frowned to himself. This was the second time he had been told that. What did they mean? What the hell happened that was so bad? It pissed him off that he seemed to be the only one out of the loop.

“What happened? Liam said the same shit, yet I still have no clue what you two are on about. His ex, right? What happened?” Louis pressed, sitting down on the bottom step. Niall’s usual smile faltered and he shot a look to Liam, who only shrugged. Sighing slightly, Niall ran a hand through his blonde hair.

“I don’t know if it’s my place to say. I think Harry would be pissed if I told you instead of him, you know?” Niall said quietly. Louis stared at him blankly in response, his heart rate starting to climb. Of course, Louis understood, but he absolutely detested not knowing what had happened to H. The more they beat around the bush, the worse Louis assumed it had been.

“Was he abused? Is that what it is?” Louis huffed, running his hand through his greasy hair. Niall sighed and nodded a little.

“You could say that, I guess. The dude was twenty when he was, like, barely sixteen and treated him like shit. Was meaner than hell, but Harry was still in love with him. Finally left him when he came to uni and H was still torn up about it until you came into the picture. That’s all I can say, alright?” Niall said quietly, gripping the blanket that was draped over the arm of the sofa. Louis nodded and stayed silent. His blood was boiling in his veins and he could feel himself getting angry at the fucker who treated his Harry like shit. Breathing in deeply, Louis stood.

“Thanks for letting me know, mate. I would never hurt him. Over my dead fucking body,” Louis growled and turned to walk back upstairs to shower. Time was ticking by quicker than Louis had hoped but he was growing more and more excited as five came closer and closer. He hopped into the shower and scrubbed himself harder than he had ever scrubbed, making sure that he smelled as clean as possible. The smell of his body soap filled the bathroom as he lathered; the scent was manly but still sweet. He hoped that Harry would like it. Music blared from his phone as he stepped out of the shower, the same love songs that he had been playing on repeat since he’d met H. His tattooed hand gripped the plush towel that hung on the rack, pulling it from its place and wrapping it tightly around his waist. 

Louis examined himself in the mirror for a bit too long, lost in his thoughts. He shook them away and exited the steamy bathroom to find that Liam and Niall had migrated upstairs to Liam’s room. In the small, clean bedroom stood Liam with his iron, precisely flattening the wrinkles out of Louis’ outfit. Niall was sat on the made bed, scrolling through his phone and chatting with Liam. Louis smiled to himself as he walked in.

“Boyos,” Louis greeted them, his hair still dripping. Niall looked up.

“Every time I see you, you're more and more naked. Walk out and walk back in, see what happens,” Niall giggled, giving Louis an exaggerated, cheeky wink. Louis gave him a fake look of disgust.

“In your dreams, lad. I’m straight and you’re not that attractive,” Louis retorted, gripping his towel. Niall feigned offense.

“First of all, ouch, my feelings. Second of all, you’re getting ready to go on a date with a man. Mate, that is not straight,” Niall said matter of factly. Louis shrugged. 

“I am straight. I just like Harry,” Louis stated. 

“And dick,” Niall added, holding up a finger as if he had just presented a valid point. Louis glared at him and flipped him off, making Niall laugh wildly.

“I’ve had more pussy in a night than you’ve had in a lifetime, Horan. Just admit that you’re jealous and we can move on,” Louis said as he held back laughter. Not even able to deny it, Niall shrugged. 

“Right, lad. My bad, I apologize. You are a sex god, please forgive me,” Niall giggled.

“Sex god is correct, thank you,” Louis smirked and crossed his arms, proud of the conclusion they had come to. Liam groaned and shook his head, turning off the iron.

“You two are children. Disgusting little children,” Liam sighed, putting the freshly pressed clothes back on their hangers. Louis giggled and stuck his tongue out at Liam as he took the garments. Liam folded his ironing table and wrapped the cord of the iron, putting it all back in his closet. 

“Now, go get dressed,” Liam shooed Louis out of the room. Louis nodded and walked back to his room to finish getting ready. After grabbing a pair of boxers, he pulled on his outfit. The pants fit him perfectly, contouring the curves of his body and falling right at his ankles. They were tight on his legs but not too tight, and as he looped a black belt through the loops, he examined himself in the full body mirror. Not too bad, he thought to himself. He slipped his white shirt on, carefully putting each button through its hole. His fingers were shaky, which he hadn’t really noticed. He adjusted the shirt and sighed a little. Talking with the boys had made his nerves subside for a moment, but now they were back and stronger than ever. Sliding his blazer on and cuffing the sleeves, he took a final look at his reflection. The outfit was great, and he was pretty proud of it. All he had left to do was fix his hair and go to grab the flowers from Ms. Elsie.

A few minutes more of fiddling with his hair was all Louis needed. He pulled on his socks and dress shoes, glancing at his watch. It was 4:15 pm. He had to get going if he wanted to be on time. His dress shoes tapped against the hard-wood stairs, alerting the other boys to his presence. They looked up at him. Liam looked at him with a proud expression and Niall looked surprised. 

“Mate, you don’t look half bad. You should do that every day,” Niall said, nodding in approval. Louis scoffed and shook his head.

“I would insult you but I’m going to be late if I don’t leave now,” Louis said, walking to the front door. Liam called after him.

“Good luck, Lou! Rooting for ya, lad. Have fun,” Liam said fondly, followed by a holler from Niall,

“Bring protection!” 

Louis groaned in response, shoving his wallet into his pocket.

“Bye, Liam. Love ya, mate, see ya soon. Niall, fuck off,” Louis hollered as he slammed the front door. Louis strolled down to his car and hopped into the front seat, pulling out his phone to text Harry.

_“Im headed there soon , love .. Cant wait to see ur beautiful face xxxxxxxx”_

Louis pressed send and tossed his phone into the passenger seat as he started to drive. His speakers rattled as he made his way to Ms. Elsie’s flower shop. He made it at around 4:35, just as Ms. Elsie was getting ready to close for the evening. With the ding of an antique-sounding bell, Louis pushed the glass door of the shop open. Ms. Elsie was using a rag to wipe the glass display case, standing on her toes.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Elsie… How are you?” Louis said softly, not wanting to startle the sweet woman. She turned her head and smiled at the boy standing behind her. She remembered him instantly.

“Dearie! I was wondering when you’d be back. I’m assuming Harry said yes to a date, hm?” Ms. Elsie grinned, using her knuckle to push her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. She set her rag on the countertop, going behind the counter.

“Yes, ma’am. I’m on my way to meet him right now, actually. Just wanted to stop and pick him up something special before I go. Think you could help me out?” Louis spewed, making his nerves more noticeable to the older woman. Her eyes lit up and she nodded, smiling widely at him. 

“Of course, love! What is your date? A dinner date?” She questioned, rolling up the sleeves of her blue pin-striped blouse. Louis felt his face warm as he replied to Ms. Elsie, 

“Dinner, yeah. It’s gonna be perfect, I can just feel it. ‘M picking him up in 15 minutes and need something to surprise him with. What kind of flowers will make him smile?”

Ms. Elsie nodded knowingly, her smile spreading slowly. She walked to the back room of the shop and Louis could hear the rustling of tissue paper. Only a few minutes later, the dark haired woman returned with a lush bundle of red roses with smaller white flowers snuck in the crevices. Around the bouquet was that same baby blue ribbon that Elsie had wrapped around the flowers Louis bought Harry when he asked him out. 

“These will be absolutely perfect, Dearie. He will love them,” Ms. Elsie assured him. Louis took the bouquet of flowers and held them tightly in his arms. 

“Thank you, Ms. Elsie. These are amazing and I couldn’t thank you enough. Well, I’ve got to run. My boy is waiting on me,” Louis told her, excited to see the curly-headed boy. Ms. Elsie nodded and smiled.

“Louis, dearie, you go get that boy. These are on me, love. Have fun,” Ms. Elsie mused, the edges of her eyes crinkling with her smile. Louis’ jaw dropped a little. Ms. Elsie was truly his guardian angel. Louis left the small flower shop with a slight skip in his step. He walked out to his car and daintily sat the flowers in the passenger seat. The next step was to drive to the curly boy’s home and make it a night to remember. 

Louis felt his knees shake as he stood at Harry’s door. His knuckles met the wood of the townhouse door. He felt a rush of nerves through his spine that felt like he had stuck his fingers in an electric socket. His heart pounded like a drum as he heard soft footsteps approach the door and the gold doorknob slowly turned. Louis took a step back as the door slowly creaked open. There stood Harry.

His golden skin was glowing under the porch light and his curly hair was expertly styled. He was dressed in a pair of brown tweed trousers which were cuffed at the bottom, a pair of brown leather Doc Marten boots, and a cream-colored cable-knit sweater vest with a white collared dress shirt underneath it. From behind his curly fringe, he looked at Louis with a soft smile. Louis’ blue eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at the sight of the younger boy.

“Harry, love… You look beautiful,” Louis said quietly, shakily holding out the bundle of red roses. Harry’s tanned cheeks faded into a dusty pink shade as he took the gift from Louis’ tattooed hand. He looked down at his feet and mumbled a soft ‘thank you’ as Louis gently took his left hand. 

“Are you ready for dinner, H? I’m starving,” Louis said, his nerves melting away as Harry gripped his hand. Harry nodded and giggled, intertwining their fingers. Louis noted the cold metal of the golden rings that were nestled on Harry’s fingers. He had watched the boy make so many drinks that he could have identified each piece of jewelry just by the way they pressed against his fingers. It made him smile. 

“I could definitely eat. Where are we going?” Harry asked with a warm smile as they walked up to Louis’ car. He reached to open the car door, but Louis’ arm shot out to stop him.

“Excuse me, this is a date. I get to be a gentleman,” Louis giggled, opening the car door. Harry blushed and nodded as he stepped into the car. Running around to the driver’s side, Louis climbed into the driver’s seat. They started to drive downtown, Harry’s knee bouncing nervously the whole time. Louis noticed it and frowned, placing a gentle hand on the boy’s thigh.

“You alright, love?” Louis hummed as they turned into a large parking lot. The lot was full of cars and there seemed to be barely any spots. Harry nodded shyly.

“I, yeah… Yeah, Lou, I’m great. Just a little nervous is all,” Harry smiled, earning a smile from the older boy sitting next to him. Louis nodded and patted the boy’s thigh.

“Don’t be, babe. No reason to be nervous,” Louis said cooly, as if he hadn’t been shaking with nerves just minutes before. He couldn’t explain it, but seeing Harry so nervous made him forget his own anxiety. He had the overwhelming urge to protect Harry and make him feel safe. He had to make him feel better. Harry looked a bit relieved as they pulled into a parking spot.

A big, white neon sign hung above the front door of the modern-looking building. The sign read “The Sparrows” with a sketchy-style bird next to it. Louis smiled as he saw the realization in Harry’s eyes.

“I figured if we met in Fig and Sparrow, our first date should be at The Sparrows,” he said softly, pushing a bit of hair out of his eyes. Harry smiled and nodded, turning to look at Louis. 

“I love it, Lou. It’s perfect. But isn’t this place super expensive? We can’t afford an appetizer here,” Harry giggled nervously. Louis shook his head and opened his car door, shuffling to the other side to let Harry out as well. He gently took Harry’s hand and interlaced their fingers, kissing the back of the younger boy’s hand. 

“Don’t worry about money. I’ve got this all handled, Harry. I promise,” Louis said with a smile, helping Harry out of the car. Harry tried to interject, giving up when he saw the smile on his date’s face. Louis tugged slightly on Harry’s hand, directing him towards the building surrounded by bright lights. Using his free hand, he opened the restaurant door for his boy. Harry blushed as he entered the building. Fancy was an understatement for this place. It looked like one of those five-star establishments that celebrities frequented. Harry felt underdressed and out of place. He looked to Louis with a nervous gleam in his eyes and Louis gave him a reassuring smile. 

The boys approached the hostess stand where a tall, blonde woman dressed in all black stood. Louis stood tall, puffing his chest out a bit as he approached. 

“I’ve got a reservation for two. Tomlinson, private room,” Louis spoke smoothly. The woman flipped through a black book before nodding and closing it again. She started to lead them to the back of the restaurant. Harry looked to Louis again, his jaw agape.

“A private room?” Harry whispered frantically. Louis smiled mischievously and nodded. They approached a small back room with a red curtain covering the doorway. Louis stepped forward and held the curtain aside to allow Harry to enter. He stepped through hesitantly and looked around to take in the scene. The room was dim, lit only by candles and a crystal chandelier, and the table was set with a basket of bread and a bottle of wine in the center.

Louis pulled a chair out for Harry and motioned for him to sit. Harry gratefully took a seat and continued to admire the set-up. It was breathtaking. Louis sat across from him, nearly as surprised as Harry. He didn’t expect it to look this good. His heart pounded in his chest as his eyes met Harry’s.

“So, do you like it?” Louis asked expectantly. Harry could barely form words as he nodded rapidly.

“Oh my god, Lou… I love it… I- Wow. Didn’t expect this at all, Lou,” Harry said breathlessly. A sigh of relief escaped from Louis as he nodded. His tattooed hand reached for the wine on the table as well as one of the fancy crystal glasses.

“Wine, love?” Louis mused as he poured himself a glass. The wine was a deep red color as it swirled inside of the glass. Harry forced a smile and he shook his head softly.

“No thank you… I don’t drink, remember?” he reminded Louis. Louis frowned.

“One glass with dinner won’t hurt… I promise you won’t get drunk. Just a glass, H,” Louis smiled, taking Harry’s hand across the table. Harry looked conflicted, searching Louis’ face for reassurance. A soft nod was enough for him.

“Okay, but just a small glass,” Harry caved with a subtle blush on his cheeks. Louis poured half a glass and handed it to the brown-haired boy. He took a small sip and hummed in approval. Although he didn’t drink, he had to admit that he liked the taste of the wine. It was rich and sweet but still had a bite of bitterness to it. He followed it with another sip.

Louis’ blue eyes intently scanned the menu. The black leather folder held expensive-looking paper with gold embossed fonts, blocks of Italian text, and prices. Harry picked his menu up as well and examined it. The numbers and prices glared at him, sticking out like neon signs. He swallowed hard and looked up to Louis.

“What are you going to order? I can’t decide…” Harry said, his voice accompanied by the ambient soft Jazz music of the restaurant. Louis looked at him over the top of the menu, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smile.

“I’m gonna get a chicken dish, probably. You get anything that you want, babe,” Louis hummed. Harry sighed. That was no help. A waitress bounced into the private room, her blonde ponytail swinging behind her as she entered.

“Good evening, gentlemen. Are we ready to order?” She asked as she twirled her pen with manicured fingers. Her nails were a wine red, Harry noticed. He was distracted but dragged back to the conversation by Louis’ soft voice.

“Do you know what you’re having, love?” he mused, running his thumb in circles on the back of Harry’s tanned hand. Harry blinked a few times and nodded, a polite smile settled on his pink lips. Louis gave his hand a squeeze to encourage him to order.

“I’ll just have the house salad, please,” Harry said softly as he closed the menu. Louis frowned slightly and closed his as well. The waitress scribbled on a notepad before looking to Louis for his order.

“I’ll have the mozzarella stuffed chicken… And could I please get a side of pasta with tomato sauce?” He ordered and handed the woman the menus. She smiled and assured them that their food would be out soon. Harry smiled softly at Louis, holding his hand tightly.

“I really am speechless, Lou… This is so amazing. I’ve never been on a date like this…” Harry breathed, glancing into Louis’ eyes. The smile on Louis’ face was contagious as he shrugged,

“I really wanted this to be perfect for us… For you, you know?”

Harry nodded and smiled.

“It is perfect. More than perfect.”

The boys talked as if they had known each other for years, the conversation flowing effortlessly from their tongues. Louis asked Harry about his work and got Harry onto a tangent of crazy customer stories. It amazed him to listen to the curly haired boy speak. He couldn’t believe that at one point he thought Harry was shy. In reality, the boy was giggly, bubbly, and an amazing storyteller. He giggled as he spoke, his own story cracking him up as he tripped over words and back-tracked to provide details. Louis beamed at him. He really didn’t think that he could smile any wider. The wine was definitely giving the younger boy the kick of courage he needed to really enjoy the date, and he continued nursing on the glass throughout his story.

“She really dropped the cup of coffee on purpose? What did she think was going to happen?” Louis giggled, propping his head up with his hand. He was ogling at the boy in front of him, whose face was red with suppressed laughter. Harry’s curls bounced as he nodded.

“She thought I would remake her drink and give her another one for free!” Harry laughed and pushed his hair behind his ear. Louis laughed with him even though the story wasn’t really _that_ funny. He couldn’t help it. There was something about his laugh, it made him want to join. Even if there was nothing funny, they could laugh for hours at nothing.

Harry gasped for breath through his giggles as Louis explained the interaction between him and Niall earlier that day.

“He called you a sex god?! Why would he even say that?!” Harry cackled, covering his mouth to try and muffle the sound. Louis gasped and feigned offense.

“Shit, don’t act so surprised. It may as well be true, curly,” Louis smirked, making Harry’s cheeks flush and his giggles become giddy. Harry couldn’t even respond before their food arrived at their table. Louis winked as the waitress walked up, making Harry go even redder. The food was placed in front of them and Harry looked at his salad and then back at Louis. Louis was munching on a piece of bread and ready to dig in.

The boys ate and gabbed for nearly another two hours. Louis’ chest felt warm like a fire was burning behind his ribs, both because of the wine and the boy in front of him. He had been on plenty of dates, been to plenty of parties, and had plenty of night outs. None of them had ever felt like this. He felt airy, he felt like he was floating. He felt drunk but better.

Once their dinner plates were empty, Louis raised an eyebrow at Harry.

“Dessert?” The older boy giggled, earning an earnest shake of the head from his date. Harry groaned, placing a hand on his sweater vest-clad tummy.

“Full. I need a nap,” He giggled. Louis smiled and nodded as he paid the bill, making sure Harry couldn’t see the total. After he’d gotten his card back, he took Harry’s hand gently.

“Let’s get out of here, yeah?”

They left the restaurant and walked down the pavement outside of the restaurant, the stars shining down on them. The day had been cloudy, but the night sky was clearer than glass. Harry snaked his arm around Louis’ and sighed contentedly as they walked, glancing up at the moon. He looked to Louis and broke the comfortable silence.

“We should go lay out and look at the stars, Lou. It’s so nice out,” he chirped. Louis showed no opposition as he pulled Harry to the car. There was a blanket in his backseat and he knew of a nice forested park nearby, and although it wasn’t a part of his ever-meticulous plan, it was with Harry and it was perfect.

The car rolled up to the park and Harry jumped out, clutching the picnic blanket from Louis’ backseat. He skipped across the grass with Louis following close behind. The brown-haired boy spread the blanket across the dewy grass and sat down on it. Falling to his back, he looked up to the sky. The stars stared back at him as Louis lay beside him. In that moment, everything really was perfect.

“Can I say something super weird?” Harry asked, breaking the silence between the boys. They had been laying amongst the trees for nearly an hour with the crickets acting as a soundtrack. Louis nodded, rubbing the boy's side gently as he nuzzled closer.

“Duh.”

“I think we were best friends. In a past life, I mean…” Harry hummed, his eyelids fluttering closed as he rested his head on Louis’ shoulder. Louis raised an eyebrow.

“You believe in that stuff?”

Harry nodded once.

“I think so… I think I’ve lived, like, a lot of lives.”  
“You think so?” Louis questioned and tangled his fingers in Harry’s hair, “I think this is my first life. I must be a new soul or something.”

Harry peeked up at Louis with one green eye. He furrowed his brow and reached to grab Louis’ free hand as he spoke, “How come?”

“I feel like if I had more lives, I’d know a hell of a lot more. I don’t know anything and I think I’m figuring it all out,” Louis shrugged. Harry only nodded and stayed silent for a moment. He spoke again, his voice husky from the amount of laughing and talking he’d done that night.

“I think I’m an old soul,” He started, his eyes closed once again. “I think I’ve been a ballet dancer and a grandmother… Maybe a nurse and a few pets. I think I’ve died young a few times and I’ve died of old age… I think I’ve lived a lot of lives and this is my last one.”

Louis nodded softly although Harry couldn’t see him.

“Why do you think that, H?” he questioned, smoothing the boy’s soft hair. Harry paused and shrugged, burying his face in the crook of Louis’ neck.

“I don’t know… I feel connected to so many identities and their experiences, kinda like they’re mine… I think I’ve been everywhere. I’ve been everything and this is where it comes to a peak. Maybe I have one more in me, but god, I hope it’s peaceful. I think I’ll be an oak tree and finally have peace,” he trailed off. Louis was speechless.

“I hope in our next lives we can be trees together, Lou,” Harry whispered into the skin of Louis’ neck. Louis only nodded.

“Me too, love… Me too,” Louis hummed in response, his blue eyes focused on the green foliage above them. It was just Harry, Louis, and the trees, and Louis never wanted to leave.


	8. tuesday, january 12

More than two weeks had passed since the boys’ first date and the time between was filled with constant text messages, weekly bouquets of flowers, and giddy giggling from both sides. Liam called it the “honeymoon period,” but Louis objected. They weren’t even officially dating, there was no way it was the honeymoon period.

Harry had been extremely busy with work so, much to Louis’ dismay, they had only been able to see each other at the coffee shop. Exchanged glances and notes scrawled on napkins were so exciting to them, electrifying even. Louis started bringing his own red sharpie with him to the shop, scrawling endless love hearts on the brown paper napkins stacked neatly on the table. Harry cherished the notes more than Louis even knew. Every single silly note, silly drawing, was stashed in his apron pocket until he could get them safely home. 

Classes were back in session, and Louis sat at home on a Tuesday night in front of his laptop, tapping away on a creative writing assignment. As much as he loved to write, he often struggled with writer's block. But with this assignment, he had no problem. Inspiration flowed from him as his fingers seemed to carry themselves across the keys. The prompt he was given by his professor was simple and quite vague: describe something that you find beautiful.

His mind raced with thoughts of the curly-haired boy that he found himself so infatuated with. Shades of green painted and blurred across his mental images and thoughts of soft skin that tasted of mint and smelled of vanilla weighed heavy as he gnawed his bottom lip. The movement of his fingers faltered as they itched with the urge to text the beautiful, beautiful boy. Not even a text would be enough, Louis decided. He should call- no, he should go see him. His hands ached to touch the golden-skinned boy, his lips ached to kiss him tenderly.

Louis had to shake his head to suppress the thoughts- if he continued, he’d need much more than just a kiss. He drummed his fingers on the spacebar and tried to direct his thoughts elsewhere, but the phantom feeling of soft lips against his neck and Harry’s large, strong yet gentle hand on his side was enough to make him push the laptop aside. His breath hitched in his throat as he reached for his phone. Clicking the side button, the time flashed across the screen. 11:15pm. Harry would still be awake, wouldn’t he? Louis sure as fuck hoped so. The dial tone rang in Louis’ ear as he continued to chew his bottom lip, his mind still doing somersaults.

This whole serious relationship thing was so new and so strange for Louis. This time last year, he was partying every night with all of the hottest birds in Manchester, getting with any and as many of them as he wanted. Sex was nothing special in his mind; it was fun and it felt good, and that’s all it was. Once he met Harry, all of that stopped. He hadn’t been with anybody or even thought about it since the day his eyes met Harry’s emerald green gaze in Fig and Sparrow. He used to jump from booty call to booty call, and now he has begun buying a bundle of flowers every Friday for a boy with a pretty smile. The man had gone from promiscuous to down bad in the span of a month. What the hell is it about this boy, Louis wondered to himself.

The phone line opened with a click and Louis spoke, his voice low and raspy with desire and lack of use. 

“Hey, babe… You up?” Louis mused, twirling a pen between his fidgety fingers. He heard empty air for a moment before he was met with the brown-haired boy’s voice on the other end. His voice was thick as honey as he spoke, low and scratchy as well.

“Yeah, I’m up… What’s up?” Harry answered, Louis’ thoughts fueled by the tone of Harry’s voice. He had never heard him speak that way, and fuck - was it hot. The younger boy sounded sleepy and husky. He hoped he hadn’t woken him. 

“Did I wake you, love? Sorry, I just couldn’t stop thinking about you…”

Louis heard a soft cough as if Harry was clearing his throat.

“No, no, babe… Didn’t wake me, I was still up… Couldn’t sleep. You were thinking about me?” Harry said, his quiet voice nearly a growl. Louis chewed the inside of his lip, leaning back against his headboard. That question sent a shockwave of butterflies through Louis’ stomach.

“Mhm… Couldn’t stop thinking about you, missing you too much… Wish you were here,” Louis muttered, his intent evident in his voice. He heard Harry’s breath hitch softly and assumed that he felt the same way.

“I… I miss you too, Lou,” Harry croaked, his voice shuddering as a soft sob can be heard through the phone. All desire was wiped from Louis’ mind, all arousal was replaced with concern.

“H, are you crying? Darling, what’s wrong?” Louis asked, quickly sitting up. He closed his laptop and swung his feet off of the side of the bed. Harry’s soft sobs grew louder and more intense, a few babbling words audible through Louis’ speaker. Louis ran his fingers through his hair, cursing himself. What an idiot, he thought, mistaking Harry’s sad, strained voice for horniness. Wishful thinking, he guessed.

Harry’s cries rippled through the phone and Louis was shocked. He had seen Harry cry before, but never anything like this. He sounded distressed and it developed a tangle of panic in Louis’ chest. Louis took a deep breath, standing from the bed.

“Harry, love, please talk to me… Do you need me to come there?” Louis asked frantically, grabbing his black Adidas jacket off of the hook on the back of his door. Whether Harry said yes or no, he was going to check on him anyway. He knew Harry, and he knew that something was really wrong.

“Louis… Please…” Harry sobbed desperately, his cries choked and his breaths erratic. Louis whimpered at the sound and his heart panged with sympathy for his sweet, sweet H. He slipped a pair of pajama pants that he found on the floor over his boxers and pulled on his jacket, not even bothering to put on a t-shirt.

“Okay, sun… I’m on my way, okay? Deep breaths, in and out,” Louis coached as he pushed the door open to Liam’s bedroom. The man was sitting on his bed, several textbooks spread around him and his phone propped up on a pillow. Niall was on Facetime with him, fingering the strings of an acoustic guitar. Louis shot Liam a worried glance and cleared his throat to grab his attention. Liam looked up with a raised eyebrow, confused. 

“I gotta go. Don’t know when I’ll be back, but I’ll text,” Louis muttered, zipping his jacket and balancing his phone between his cheek and his shoulder. Liam frowned.

“Is everything okay, Tommo?”

Louis only shrugged in response as he turned on his heels to leave the room. Niall, from Liam’s phone screen, looked even more confused.

“What was that, Payno? Louis runnin’ out on ya?” Niall laughed stiffly, trying to lift the mood of the situation. Liam shrugged, giving Niall a quick ‘I guess so’ before continuing studying. Louis bustled down the stairs as he shoved his keys and wallet into his pocket. Harry was still on the other side of the call, sounding even more upset than before.

“I… I’m sorry, Louis… I didn’t mean to…” Harry howled and choked on a watery cough as Louis jumped into his car and began to drive, definitely over the speed limit. What if Harry was hurt? What if something terrible happened? He reassured the distraught boy gently as he drove before he quickly rolled into the empty driveway of Harry’s brick house. He leaped out of his car and hustled to the front door, shaking the locked doorknob.

“Harry, honey… I’m here, come let me in,” Louis instructed. The call cut off, notifying Louis with three staccato beeps. Within seconds the dark wooden door flung open and Louis was met with a pitiful-looking Harry. Harry’s curly brown hair was damp and matted, his face was pale with red rings around his eyes, and his cheeks were stained with un-ending streams of big tears. His oversized jumper swallowed the taller boy and his black joggers made his long legs look short. Louis cooed, dropping his phone into his jacket pocket and pulling the boy close to his chest. Harry curled into Louis’ tattooed arms and nearly collapsed as his jelly-like legs gave way. The shorter boy supported him and led him inside of the house as it was nearly freezing outside.

The house was dark except for a warm light coming from one open door, which Louis assumed led to Harry’s bedroom. He took the curly-haired boy’s hand and dragged him towards the light. They entered the small room that held a messily unmade bed with a hand-stitched quilt crumpled atop of vintage floral sheets. The walls were lined with yellow fairy-lights and polaroid pictures, most of which contained Harry and a middle-aged woman, who Louis assumed was his mum, a girl that looked not much older than himself, and Niall. Louis couldn’t help but smile softly as he admired the room while Harry crumbled into a pile of tears on the bed. Louis crawled into the cozy bed next to Harry, wrapping his arm around the boy’s trembling torso.

“Baby, can you please tell me what’s going on? I’m here to make you feel better,” Louis soothed, using a gentle hand to push a curl behind Harry’s ear. A pair of big green eyes stared back at him. Usually, they were bright and glittering like a pair of emeralds, but behind the glassy veil of tears, they were dull and dark. 

“I… I’m just having a bad night, Louis… That’s all, I’m sorry for dragging you out here so late,” Harry croaked, weakly moving to rub away the tears with a balled-up fist. Louis frowned and kissed his forehead. He was not taking that as an answer.

“What’s got you down, sun?”

Harry’s brow furrowed and his eyes darted to find an answer.

“Oh, um… Schoolwork, I guess…” He muttered hesitantly, Louis able to see directly through the lie. Strong, soft fingers caressed Harry’s wet cheek and he looked down to avoid Louis’ crystal blue gaze. Louis sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of his head as he pulled him even closer. He tugged the quilt made of blue, purple, and pink linen squares over H’s form and hummed softly.

“I know that’s not true, and you know there’s no reason to fib… Do you wanna tell me the truth, H?” The older boy coaxed and tangled his fingers in the brown curls that were knotted together. Harry let out a long, shaky, and defeated breath.

“I’m sorry… It’s um, I… It’s my ex, okay? He texted me a-and it made me upset. I didn’t want to talk about my ex to my boyf- I mean, to you,” Harry admitted at a nearly silent volume. A familiar anger bubbled up in Louis’ chest at the mention of this mysterious ex-boyfriend. What the fuck did this guy think he was doing, texting Harry and making him this upset? If Louis didn’t have an ounce of self-control - which he barely did - he would beat the living shit out of the bloke. Inhaling deeply and nodding, Louis gently stroked his back.

“Okay, Harry… Thank you for telling me that, sun… What did he say to you?” Louis pressed, not wanting to upset the boy who was finally calming down but wanting to know what had hurt his feelings so deeply. Harry swallowed thickly and shrugged. 

“N-Nothing, Lou. Leave it be, okay? I… I handled it, okay?” Harry whimpered shakily and buried his face in the crook of Louis’ neck. Louis sighed. He was unhappy with the answer but didn’t want to rub salt in the wound. It had to have been pretty bad, Louis thought to himself, but also he knew that Harry was sensitive. The boy wore his heart on his sleeves and rarely masked his emotions, but this time was different. Louis shook his head and sighed as he tried to focus more on being a source of comfort for the hurt boy in his arms.

Harry’s breathing calmed slowly and his warm breath tickled against Louis’ neck, giving the older boy the shivers. He bit his lip and pulled back a bit to look down at Harry. His tired eyes were shut and his nose was red at the tip from the constant wiping with his jumper sleeve. Louis kissed his forehead and sighed softly, noting how peaceful he looked. It made him remember their night among the trees and how Harry’s main hope for his next life was peace. His chest weighed heavy with an unknown guilt; he wished so badly that he wouldn’t have to wait. All Louis wanted was for this life to hold so much peace, so much tranquility for the golden boy that lay exhausted in his arms. Resting his head on one of Harry’s pillows, he watched the boy intently. The green eyes flickered open weakly and beneath them had settled a weak smile.

“Thank you, Lou… I, seriously… Seriously appreciate it,” Harry whispered. He looked so frail, so small, and so vulnerable. Louis nodded softly and returned a sad smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. 

“I would do anything in the world to make you feel better. You name it, I’m on it. Don’t you ever hesitate, okay?”

Harry nodded and leaned his head up, his ringed fingers gently cupping Louis’ jaw as he pulled him closer. Louis’ stomach lurched and he closed his eyes as Harry’s chapped lips met his with a soft and short kiss. Harry began to pull back but Louis’ tattooed hands grasped both sides of the tanned boy’s face, pulling him back into a more passionate, deeper kiss. Hesitantly, Harry snaked his arms around Louis’ neck and kissed back before pulling away once more. Louis panted and attempted to catch his breath. 

Harry’s eyes were wide and he looked startled, his lips red and swollen from being bitten, both by himself and the boy in his bed. He was overwhelmed and Louis was desperate for more. The older boy leaned forward to kiss Harry once more, a bit rougher this time. His hands traveled up through the brown curls that he fantasized about for so long and his lips hopped from H’s pink chapped lips to his jawline and all down his neck. Harry whimpered, conflicted. He loved the feeling of being touched so desperately and so hungrily by Louis, but at the same time, his stomach was knotted with nerves and his brain was clouded with memories he wished he could forget. Louis’ tongue grazed the golden skin of Harry’s collarbone and Harry gently put both of his hands on the older boy’s chest, pushing him away slowly.

“L-Lou… I, I don’t think I’m ready for this…” Harry whispered, quickly adding, “I’m so sorry.”

Louis’ eyes opened and he looked over Harry’s face, examining his expression. The younger boy looked terrified. Louis nodded rapidly and pulled him close once more.

“Oh… Of course, H, don’t you worry about it… Thank you for telling me, sun,” Louis whispered into Harry’s now disheveled hair. He felt like a total asshole. Nice move, he thought to himself, your boyfriend has a full-on panic attack and you try to snog him. Boyfriend. Louis squeezed his eyes closed and sighed shakily as he felt Harry trembling against his chest. Cursing himself, he rubbed circles into H’s back and hummed.

“No matter what, Harry, I’ll always be here… As long as you want me, I’m here…” 

Harry looked up slowly and nodded bashfully, his cheeks red and his eyes glossy with another bout of tears.

“I-I want you forever, Lou,” he whispered, laying his head on Louis’ chest and pulling the quilt up to his chin. A smile spread slowly across Louis’ lips as he nodded, grabbing the remote to Harry’s TV. He flipped the device on and picked a random channel that he knew Harry would enjoy to watch reruns of a baking competition. Harry sighed shakily, still obviously torn up about the situation. Louis held him silently and buried his nose in his tangled curls. His mind whirled and he couldn’t hear the telly over his thoughts.

“Sun, can I ask you a question…?” He interrupted as a judge made commentary on an older woman’s sourdough loaf. Harry hummed in response, his eyes heavy and his head pounding after an entire night of tears. Louis didn’t need to know it, but Harry had been in a state since 8:30, nearly three hours prior to the phone call. Louis pushed a tuft of hair off of his forehead and collected his thoughts before speaking once again.

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately, but… I think… I think we should… Shit, will you be my boyfriend?” Louis stammered, his face fading into a shade of beet-red. Harry was still for a second, his ear pressed to Louis’ jack-hammer heartbeat. Taking a deep breath, Harry sat up slowly.

“I’d love to, silly…” He smiled his first real smile of the night.

Louis didn’t even realize he was holding his breath until he exhaled deeply in relief. 

“You’re serious?” Louis questioned, popping up from where he lay. Harry let out a giddy giggle and nodded as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Louis laughed and pulled the boy close to his chest tightly. Harry melted into the touch and sunk into Louis’ arms, a smile firm on his lips. 

“Can I tell you something silly, Lou?” Harry whispered, pulling his knees up so that he was fully sitting in Louis’ lap. Louis nodded with his arms wrapped tight around his boyfriend’s torso. He was now able to say that Harry was his boyfriend. He wanted to scream it from every rooftop, tell every stranger, let everyone know. He had a beautiful boyfriend and he felt like he was floating.

“Do you believe in soulmates?” Harry asked softly. Louis giggled and shrugged. 

“Dunno, sun. Never thought of it, really.”

Harry nodded a little and rested his head on Louis’ shoulder, growing more sleepy as the minutes ticked by. He yawned and cuddled even closer, which Louis didn’t know was possible.

“I think you’re my soulmate, Lou,” Harry whispered as Louis slid down the headboard to lay back down, “I knew you were mine the first time I saw you. We’ve been together before, I just know it... I’m so glad to have you back. I’m so glad you came home,”

The curly-haired boy sunk into the mattress with a soft hum as his older boyfriend intertwined their legs together. He had yearned for the comfort and safety of his tattooed arms and had never felt better than he did in that moment. Louis’ heart swelled at the boy’s statement.

“I’m so glad to be home too, sun… So, so glad,” Louis said into the mess of brown hair that tickled his chin. He glanced at the clock, seeing that nearly two hours had passed since he arrived at Harry’s and it was already a quarter past one. Harry was usually early to bed, and Louis knew that the boy had to be absolutely knackered. He unzipped his jacket and threw it to the floor, his phone hitting the rug with a dull thump. He grabbed it and tucked it under the pillow where his head rested. In only his checkered pajama pants, he snuggled up closer to the dozing boy in his arms. Kisses littered the boy’s golden forehead.

“Sleep tight, Harry…” He whispered, earning a ‘hmph’ in reply.

Before settling in to sleep himself, Louis pulled out his phone and pulled up his messages app.

**TO: PAYNO**

_ “At Harry’s . Was super upset and needed some cuddles . Be home after classes tomorrow morn , love ya man . Good luck on ur quiz in the morn , u’ll smash it like always xxxxxx” _

_ “BTW big news . Cant wait to tell ya , absolutely fuckin buzzin . xxx” _

_ “I have a boyfriend !!!!! xxxxxxxxxx” _

Louis pressed send and snapped a few pictures of the fast asleep boy on his chest. He smiled softly down at him and locked his phone, his heart full and his arms fuller.


	9. wednesday, january 13

Harry’s alarm clock rang only a mere five hours after he had fallen asleep. He was an early riser even though his first class was in the mid-morning. The chiming dragged Harry’s heavy, swollen eyes from their closed position. He groaned and lifted his head, startled at the figure in his bed. Breathing in sharply, he attempted to climb out of bed without waking his boyfriend. It felt strange to the curly-haired boy; it had been a while since he had a boyfriend, and even longer since the person holding that title was as kind as Louis. His ex-boyfriend was nice enough at first. Harry was young and thought that the man hung the stars in the sky, but time exposed his true character. The boy shivered at the thoughts and attempted to shake them away.

He straightened the quilt, essentially making the bed with Louis’ sleeping body still in it. He tucked him in and kissed his forehead sweetly as not to wake him before going to the kitchen for his breakfast. His normal daily breakfast consisted of a fresh avocado on toast with a piece of fruit, usually either an orange or a banana. Rustling through the drawers quietly to find a knife and popping his slices of bread in the toaster, Harry was startled by a voice from behind him.

“Good morning, Harry… Whose car is in the drive?”

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin and let out a small shout of surprise. Stood in the doorway of the small kitchen was his mum.

“Oh, hey, mum… N-No one, just a friend,” Harry said, his hand clutching his chest as he spoke, “You nearly gave me a heart attack.” 

Anne giggled tiredly and gave her son an apologetic look. She sat her handbag on the dining table and smiled at her son. Almost on cue, a shirtless and sleepy Louis walked into the kitchen. His eyes were barely open as he leaned with one hand grasping the doorframe. His chest was littered with fine hair and tattoos and he stretched just a bit, exposing the v of his hip bones. Harry’s face burned bright pink as Anne raised an eyebrow at him.

“Good mornin’, sun… How’d you-” Louis croaked, his voice raspy with sleep as he opened his eyes to see Anne at the table. He crossed his arms in an attempt to cover his bare chest, “Oh, hi, ma’am… Nice to meet you.”

Anne nodded slightly and looked at Harry.

“Just a friend, hm?”

Harry’s cheeks couldn’t have been more flushed in that moment. He looked at Louis with a desperate expression, unable to speak to explain himself. Louis’ eyes were full of reassurance as he approached the boy, who still looked so tiny in his sleepwear. 

“Harry just needed some help with his coursework last night and we ended up falling asleep,” Louis explained cooly. Anne nodded, not quite believing them but not wanting to push.

“I see. Well, I’m headed off to shower and then to bed. Crazy shift last night. Love you, Haz,” Anne said, pressing a kiss to her son’s temple. She whispered into his ear with not an ounce of subtlety,

“I’m proud of you, love, just be safe.”

Harry’s blush raged and he nodded slightly. Louis giggled as Anne headed up the wooden staircase to the second story of the house. With a whine, Harry plopped into a kitchen chair. 

“I’m sorry, she’s so embarrassing…”

Louis shook his head and smiled as he kissed the top of Harry’s wildly unruly hair. He sat beside him and sent him a soft grin.

“Don’t worry about it, sun. Did you sleep well? You must’ve been exhausted,” Louis asked, gently rubbing Harry’s thigh. Harry smiled sweetly and nodded. He had no clue how much he missed sharing a bed with someone he loved. It was the best sleep he’s had since his breakup. He hadn’t slept great since the downfall of his first relationship with who he thought was his first love. His thoughts were interrupted by the pop of the toaster, causing him to jump in his seat. Louis giggled and kissed his forehead.

“I’ll get your breakfast ready, love. What do you like on your toast?” Louis asked as he stood from the wooden chair. Harry did the same and walked to the counter to grab an avocado from the fruit basket. He held up the green fruit and waved it in the air. Louis scrunched his eyebrows and made a face of disgust.

“Really? Not jam? Or even butter? You eat that wretched thing?” Louis mewled, grabbing the plate that Harry had already set out. Harry pouted dramatically.

“I happen to enjoy a nice avocado. It’s good for you,” Harry said, crossing his arms. Louis shook his head and giggled.

“Whatever you say, sun,” he said, grabbing the fruit from Harry’s hand. He took the knife and cut it in half, taking out the pit like he had seen Liam do plenty of times. In Louis’ eyes, Liam was a boyo for eating avocado on toast every morning, but it was pretty cute when Harry did it. Louis was not a cook by any means, but he could mush up a disgusting green sludge to put on Harry’s toast, no problem. Harry giggled as he handed Louis a fork to mash the avocado, putting the pit in the compost bin. Grabbing a banana, he sprinkled some salt on the toast and sat it down on the table. 

“What would you like for breakfast, Lou?” Harry asked as he pushed his chair in and walked to the fridge. He swung the silver door open and grabbed a carton of oat milk before turning to fetch a glass from a cupboard. Louis shrugged and walked up behind him, snaking his arms around his boyfriend’s hips.

“What’s on the menu?”

Harry giggled.

“Avocados.”

Louis feigned offense and pulled away, gasping,

“Do you want me to starve?!”

Harry pouted and shook his head, giggling wildly and pulling a coffee mug from the same cupboard and putting a kettle full of water on the hob. He grabbed a box of teabags and began to whip up Louis’ regular order. 

“I’m just playin’, Lou. We have cereal or I could make you some eggs, whatever you’d like,” Harry mused sweetly, his pink lips curled into a gentle smile. Louis opted for the cereal and placed a soft kiss on Harry’s cheek. Harry blushed and bustled to make Louis’ cereal as the tea kettle began to squeal. Watching in awe, Louis admired his boyfriend in such a familiar setting. It reminded him so much of watching H in action at the coffee shop. The trickling of hot water over a teabag, Harry’s absentminded humming, and the smell of steeping Yorkshire all felt so right. Clutching a white ceramic bowl in one hand and a handmade mug in the other, Harry turned and caught Louis staring.

“What?” He smiled sheepishly.

“Nothing, sun. I just like you.”

Harry giggled and sat the dishes in front of the seat next to his.

“I just like you too. Let’s eat.”

Harry sat in his chair and began to peel his banana as Louis shoveled the chocolate flavored cereal into his mouth. The boys were mostly quiet, enjoying their food and each other’s company. Louis pulled out his phone to see his notification screen full of missed texts from Liam and Niall. 

_ Payno: “What????? xxxx” _

_ Payno: “Mate yes!!!!! I knew it, love ya xxx” _

_ Blondie: “ Mate congrats !!!!! Liam told me this morning !!!! Pints to celebrate , u little sex god” _

_ Blondie: “A party is def in order, ur buyin the shots tho :P” _

_ Blondie: “PS i hope u wrapped it before u tapped it” _

Louis scoffed to himself as he read the messages before typing a response to Niall.

_ “Ur a virgin and ur buyin drinks this weekend , cheers xxxx” _

Harry looked up from his toast and giggled, watching as Louis tapped on his screen with milk dribbling down his chin. Louis looked up and smiled as he wiped his chin with the back of his hand.

“What’re you laughin’ at, Curly?” Louis asked as he poked Harry’s side. Harry shrugged and giggled again. He was ticklish and Louis knew it. Harry took the last bite of his toast and drank the end of his oat milk before standing up from the table. Louis’ bowl was empty except for the odd Coco Pop and a small amount of milk. Stretching slightly, the younger boy went to put their dishes in the sink before checking the time on his phone.

“I’ve got to shower, got class soon. You have class today, Lou?” Harry inquired as he pushed his chair in. Louis smirked and shook his head.

“Not until later on, noonish, so I’m all yours until then,” he said as he stood, walking to Harry and snaking his arms around the boy’s thin waist. Blushing a bit and hiding behind a curl, Harry nodded. Louis kissed him gently and their eyes met as they pulled away. Harry smiled sheepishly and pulled away.

“Okay… I’m gonna go shower now,” Harry’s voice cracked a bit and his awkward side was starting to show. Louis found it adorable and giggled to himself. 

“Alright, love. Do you want me to leave? Or wait in your room?” Louis asked as he pushed in his chair. Harry shrugged, his cheeks pink. There were two and a half bathrooms in the house, a main bathroom with only a toilet and a sink, where guests were allowed, and two other bathrooms attached to two bedrooms: Anne’s and Harry’s. 

“You can wait in my room, that’s fine,” Harry said softly as he shyly took Louis’ hand. He didn’t know why he felt so nervous initiating the contact. Louis was his boyfriend, he was meant to hold his hand. What was so scary about that? His fears were quelled when Louis grinned brightly at him and gripped his hand. Harry led him back to the bedroom, where Louis plopped down in the bed. Looking around, Harry winced at the sight of his room. When he was hysterical last night, he didn’t really care what it looked like. But, now that he was calm, he was embarrassed at the state of the room.

“I’m sorry, Lou. Didn’t realize my room was this big of a mess,” Harry explained, nervously raking his hand through his hair. Louis shook his head and smiled softly, reassuring Harry that it was no big deal. It really wasn’t, Louis thought. Harry had seen his room at its messiest and he didn’t care. Plus, Louis and Harry’s definition of messy definitely differed. Harry’s “mess” was a desk littered with watercolor paintings and children’s books, teacups, and a few sweaters draped over a chair. The floor was nearly spotless and hoover tracks could clearly be seen, as if the carpet had been cleaned pretty recently.

“Sun, if this is messy, I don’t know what my room is,” Louis giggled, examining the room in more detail. With the early sunlight bleeding through the blinds, he could make out more than he could in the dark of the night before. He noticed a door on the far exterior wall and cocked his head, an eyebrow raised.

“What’s that door?” Louis asked as Harry looked through his immaculately organized closet. Harry didn’t look up to respond.

“I have a little patio out there. Faces the sunrise, it’s quite nice when it’s warm out,” Harry explained, pulling a few hangers. Louis nodded wordlessly and Harry folded a few garments over his arms, “Okay, Lou, I’ll be in the shower… I’ll be quick.”

Louis nodded again, his eyes scanning the boy. The thought of the boy in the shower made his stomach knot a little. Harry felt exposed under Louis’ gaze. Louis had a subtle smirk splayed across his lips as he stood from his place on the bed. He crept closer and used one hand to pull Harry closer, his blue eyes a few shades darker than they usually were. Harry shuddered under Louis’ gaze and blushed bright red. 

“No rush, love…” Louis whispered, their faces only inches apart. Harry bit his lip and nodded once as Louis inched even closer. A tattooed hand gripped Harry’s waist as Louis pressed their lips together. Harry melted into the kiss, his prepared outfit falling to the floor as his arms snaked around Louis’ neck. He was anxious, but everything about the kiss felt so right. His hand explored the skin of Louis’ bare as Louis’ hands traveled down past his waist.

They slowly made their way to the bathroom, kissing the whole time. Louis kissed the corner of Harry’s pink lips, slowly moving across his cheek, down his jawline, and to his neck once again. Harry shivered at the contact and felt the strong fingers of his boyfriend tugging at the hem of his jumper. His body tensed a little bit as his mind raced. He was scared, but the butterfly-soft touches and hungry kisses felt so amazing, so right, and Harry didn’t know what to feel anymore.

The heather grey fabric of Harry’s sweater slowly pulled over his head, leaving him feeling more exposed than ever. He watched Louis with his jaw a bit slack, the arousal evident in the older boy’s now dark blue eyes. The look on his face gave Harry goosebumps and made it impossible for him to not lean forward and connect their lips once more. Louis smirked against his lips and gently traced his fingers across Harry’s bare chest. A small noise escaped Harry’s lips and he felt the fingers slide down his chest and to his waistband. Abruptly, Harry pulled away and looked to Louis with eyes the size of dinner plates.

“What’s wrong, darling?” Louis whispered, kissing his jaw once more. Harry whimpered slightly and pulled away once again. His eyes looked distant and glassy, his mouth open like he was going to speak, but no words came out.

“Sun, talk to me…” Louis pleaded, reaching out and gently taking Harry’s hand. Harry flinched and whimpered which took the older boy by surprise. 

“I-I like it, I’m just not ready, okay?!” Harry snapped defensively, his face pale and exhibiting pure panic. Louis was silent, his blue eyes widening at the sudden change in his boyfriend’s tone. Harry looked like he was planning an escape route, his breathing unsteady and quick. Confused and concerned, Louis squeezed the younger boy’s hand gently.

“Okay, baby, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to push it. We don’t have to do anything you don’t wanna do, okay? I promise…” Louis whispered. He was so scared to screw this up, especially over some early-morning shower sex. It just wasn’t worth it. Harry nodded and tried his hardest to catch his breath, but he was struggling to take in any air. Louis pulled him into a gentle hug and kissed his temple, rubbing his back to calm the boy. He felt like a total asshole and wanted to kick himself for his decisions but comforting his boyfriend took priority in his mind.

“I-I just… I just want to take things slow… We can’t mess this up, Lou. We just can’t. Not like Sterling did. We can’t mess this up,” Harry murmured into the crook of Harry’s neck. Sterling, the name was a new development. Louis nodded and kissed the top of his head.

“Okay, sun… We’ll go slow, I promise… We won’t mess anything up. What happened with Sterling, Harry?” Louis asked in the softest voice he could muster. He didn’t want to upset the boy anymore than he already had. Harry’s head shot up and he shook his head.

“Nothing. I… I don’t want to talk about him anymore. He dumped me, and.. And he’s gone. I don’t want to talk about it,” Harry said frantically, his heart beating a mile a minute. Louis nodded understandingly and sighed.

“Alright… You take your shower, okay? I’ll be waiting right outside,” Louis soothed, kissing Harry’s forehead gently, “I’m sorry I brought it up, H… I’ll leave it be.”

Harry nodded and hung his head as Louis stepped out of the bathroom. The shower turned on and the sound of running water was not loud enough to drown out Harry’s thoughts as he scrubbed himself with a flannel cloth. He hadn’t seen or been with Sterling since their breakup, all the way back in September, but he wanted to be sure to rid himself of any traces that may have lingered. Any fingerprints, any touches, any kisses, gone. He shuddered, holding back tears and feeling sick to his stomach.

Meanwhile, Louis pulled his jacket on and shoved his hands in his pockets to find his lighter and cigarettes where he had left them. Glancing at the door to Harry’s patio, he decided a quick smoke couldn’t hurt. He didn’t even bother to zip the jacket as he stepped out onto the concrete slab, the cool morning breeze hitting his bare chest. A set of metal chairs and a table sat beside the door. Louis grabbed one of the chairs and sat down before lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag. He pulled out his phone and dialed the number of the one man he trusted with everything. It was nearing seven, and Louis knew that Liam would be up watching the morning news. He pressed the call button and listened to the dial tone. It only rang twice before the line connected with a click.

“Yello?” Liam’s morning voice sounded even raspier over the phone. Louis exhaled a cloud of smoke and sighed.

“Hey, Payno…” He started, flicking some ash off the end of his cigarette. “Having a boyfriend is hard, and I’m scared I’m gonna fuck it up.”

Liam laughed a little on the other end. 

“Tommo, it hasn’t even been a full day… What’s got you freaking out already?”

“Well, we were making out a bit and when it started to… you know, escalate… He freaked out. Like, straight panic attack, mate. What did I do?” Louis sighed shakily, taking another long drag. Liam hummed in thought and formulated his reply.

“Did he tell you to stop?”

“Yeah, kinda… Pushed me away and snapped at me…”

“Well, did you stop?” Liam interrogated, his tone turning stern. Louis frowned to himself. 

“Duh, Payno. I’m not a total piece of shit, thanks for the benefit of the doubt,” Louis growled. Liam sighed a bit.

“Listen, it’s between you and him. You need to set boundaries together and stick to them. If you’re serious about this relationship, you’ve got to do it.” Louis didn’t call Liam for a lecture, but he knew his best friend was right.

He sighed.

“Hookups are so much different than this. You get your dick wet and get out. This is so much fuckin’ different, mate.”

Liam laughed.

“Well, Tommo, that’s what dating is. Gotta get used to it.”

Louis heard the bathroom door open and said a quick goodbye to Liam before taking one last drag off of his cigarette. He snuffed it out and took a deep breath, his head feeling a bit clearer than before. He walked back into the bedroom and was met with a damp-haired Harry. Louis smiled sadly when he saw the red rings around the younger boy’s eyes.

“Hey, sun… I just wanted to say sorry about earlier… I didn’t mean to upset you. We will take it as slow as you want to, okay? I am more than okay with that…” Louis said as he pulled Harry into a gentle but firm hug. Harry nodded and closed his eyes, feeling safe in the arms of his boyfriend and inhaling the unique scent that was Louis’. A mixture of cologne and cigarette smoke, which was unexplainably comforting to Harry. 

“Okay… I wanted to apologize too. Sorry for freaking out on you in there, I had no right to be so rude,” Harry muttered, “I appreciate it, Lou… I really do. Let’s just forget about it, okay?”

Louis nodded and sighed. He really felt horrible about the whole situation, but if Harry wanted to drop it, he was going to drop it. It was just difficult, Louis thought. He couldn’t stop thinking about Sterling. He sighed and shook the thought from his head as Harry pressed a kiss to Louis’ cheek.

“I have class at nine and then I work from three to close. Maybe if you’re out of class we can grab lunch at the quad…? But if not, that’s fine… Otherwise, we can just find another time,” Harry suggested, his cheeks a bit pink as he rambled. He felt silly for being embarrassed about asking his own boyfriend to lunch, but it was still quite new. What if Louis didn’t want their classmates seeing them together? He felt like he was back in sixth form.

“Oh yeah, of course. I can skip my noon class to come eat with you, not a problem. It’s just a theatre class,” Louis said nonchalantly, quickly adding, “I’d love to.”

Harry nodded with a smile, pushing a loose curl behind his ear. 

“Do you want me to drop you off at class on my way home?” Louis asked his boyfriend, wanting to spend as much time with him as possible. He had no problem going a couple of miles off his normal route back home to take Harry to campus. 

“If you don’t mind. My mom is probably sleeping by now so I’d have to walk,” Harry smiled softly and Louis nodded. The curly-haired boy went to grab his bag from the chair at his desk. He scooped up the children’s books scattered across the surface and neatly tucked them into the canvas tote. After pulling on his black Doc Martens, Harry was ready to head out. The boys went out to Louis’ car and drove to campus.

They rolled up to a big, grey stone building that resembled a fairytale castle. There were plenty of students shuffling in and out of the doors, their arms overflowing with books and their schedules overflowing with classes. Harry stepped out of the car with a smile on his face as he leaned in to give Louis a gentle kiss on the cheek.

“I’ll see you for lunch, right Lou?” Harry said, fidgeting with the strap of his bag. Louis nodded and turned the car off. Harry was confused as Louis opened his door and exited the vehicle.

Louis noticed his boyfriend’s puzzled expression and walked to his side of the car, taking his hand sweetly and locking the doors. He kissed Harry’s pink-flushed cheek and smiled.

“Can’t your boyfriend walk you up to the door?” Louis asked, earning a giggle from the younger boy. Harry nodded bashfully and gripped Louis’ hand tighter. Together they walked up the stone staircase to the front entrance of the building. They stopped at the top of the stairs and stepped out of the path of the other bustling students. Louis leaned against the rough exterior wall and Harry stood in front of him, his free hand now nestled deep in the pocket of his coat. Leaning forward slowly, Harry pressed a soft kiss to Louis’ tobacco-flavored lips.

“Bye, babe… See you at noon?” Harry mused as he pulled back. Louis nodded wordlessly, clearing his throat before speaking. He wouldn’t miss a moment with the golden boy for anything in the world.

“I’ll be here, sun.”

His morning spent at home was uneventful compared to the night before. A shower and a bit of telly was about all that he got up to whilst waiting impatiently to be back with the curly-haired boy. At around noon, Louis’ phone buzzed in his pocket as he watched the footie match on TV. Harry was alerting him that he was done with his course and ready for lunch. The vibration was enough to rocket the boy off of the sofa and out of the door.

Louis’ car rolled up to the quad, which was full of students. He stepped out, sunglasses pulled over his blue eyes, and looked around the full tables. His hands gripped the bag of food that he had picked up along the way as he sought out the familiar form of his boyfriend. Boyfriend. The word still seemed so odd to Louis, rolling through his mind on replay every second as he walked closer to the crowd. It felt weird and yet it felt comfortable; it felt like something he never knew he needed. His thoughts rumbled as he finally spotted the slouched figure of Harry, who was sitting alone at a picnic table with his nose buried in a book and a pen scratching wildly against paper.

Louis sat the paper bag on the table and Harry’s head shot up startled as he met the boy’s cerulean gaze. His face softened and his furrowed brow untangled as a smile rolled across his pale pink lips. The green eyes flickered to the paper bag in front of him and his smile widened.

“Hi, babe… You scared me,” Harry giggled as he shut the small leatherbound book and clicked his pen closed. His hands were stained with the soft essence of watercolour paint, splotches of pinks, reds, and greens littering the warm-toned skin. Louis noticed and couldn’t help but smile. 

“Sorry, love, didn’t mean to. What were you writing? You seemed pretty focused,” Louis asked as he sat across from the boy. Harry shrugged, letting the question roll off of his back as he reached for the paper bag. He was starving.

Plastic containers of Chinese food were stacked neatly inside of the bag and Harry pulled them out, placing them on the metal table. The breeze was warm, unseasonable for a mid-January day, but he wasn’t complaining. Rays of sun peeked under the large umbrella that shaded the table and Harry squinted to see Louis.

“Ready to eat?” Louis laughed at the boy’s eagerness. Harry nodded wildly, a curl falling into his eyes as he picked up a red paper package that held two chopsticks. He pulled the lid off of a dish of noodles and dug in, Louis not wasting any time in following his actions. Louis munched on a piece of spicy chicken and spoke with his mouth half full. His tattooed hand covered his mouth slightly as to not show Harry his chewed food.

“Why’re you sitting by yourself? Do you usually eat lunch on your own?” Louis asked, making light conversation between bites. Harry nodded a little and slurped up a noodle.

“Yeah, usually… Unless Ni is on campus, but he’s still in a class right now,” Harry explained simply and played with the chopsticks in his fingers before taking a drink from his bottle of water. Louis nodded a bit.

“Do you hang out with anyone besides the Irish boyo? Like, anyone else?” Louis questioned, his tone light and joking as he poked fun at the blonde lad. He was actually quite fond of him, but no one needed to know that. Harry only shook his head.

“Not really… I mean, I hang out with you. I go to work, and I hang out with Ni. But recently he’s been busy, you know, with other people. He’s with Liam a lot or with some girl named Harper,” Harry said, opening the packet of a fortune cookie. Louis nodded and took another bite. Harry’s smile had faded and Louis definitely noticed, gently taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.

“Well, now you never have to be on your own,” the older boy assured him, running a thumb across his knuckles. Harry looked up at him and nodded a little bit. He knew he had Louis, but it hurt to be pushed aside by his lifelong best friend, especially over a girl he had just met. Niall and Harry met as students in reception, skipping down the pavement in light-up trainers and too-big knapsacks stuffed with books about fire trucks and zoo animals. The curly-haired boy smiled to himself at the memory. There were so many moments that flickered across his mind from the fifteen years of friendship and they were enough to make his heart swell. 

“Thanks, Lou… Just- I just miss him sometimes, you know? We spent every day together since we were five and now it’s a fight to get him to hang out. Feels weird, I don’t know,” Harry said softly as he glanced at his watch. It was nearly one thirty and he was dreading having to go into the shop at three. Louis nodded and squeezed his hand.

“I get it, sun, it’s hard. Liam is basically my brother and now he has that blonde dickhead around every minute of the day. You’ll get used to it being different, and at the end of the day, he’s still your best friend.”

Harry nodded and smiled softly at the words. The older boy was right, but it didn’t make the truth hurt any less. He gathered the trash from their lunch and put it all in the paper bag before standing to take it to a bin across the courtyard. Louis stood to follow, scooping up Harry’s tote and notebook as he did.

Harry needed to grab his apron before work, so Louis drove him by the house before pulling into the parking lot of the shop. Leaning across the console, Louis kissed Harry’s lips gently before smoothing down a curl that was ruffled by the wind. Harry smiled sadly before slumping in his seat.

“I do not want to go inside. They have had me working the busiest shift on my own. We’re so understaffed,” Harry complained and closed his eyes. Louis giggled and turned the car off, glancing in through the glass door.

“Well, looks like someone else is in there. Maybe there’s someone new?” Louis pointed out, a tattooed finger motioning towards the frosted glass. Behind the dark oak wood counter was a tall framed man with dark hair. Harry’s eyes opened and he shrugged.

“Guess so… Wanna walk me in?” Harry asked, smiling sweetly and taking Louis’ hand in his. His slender tan fingers gently played with the strong tattooed ones of his boyfriend as Louis nodded quickly. They exited the vehicle and went up to the door.

The bell chimed as the door swung open, causing the dark-haired man to look up from the paper he was reading from. Louis’ eyes widened in surprise but his smile widened as he recognized the man.

“Zayn, mate! I didn’t know you were working here!” He exclaimed, reaching out for a handshake. Zayn’s reddish-brown eyes lit up as a smile overtook his lips and he grabbed ahold of Louis’ hand.

“Louis! Yeah, it’s like my second shift. What’re you doing here?” Zayn asked as he reached to tie his apron tightly around his waist. He was wearing light washed jeans, cuffed at the bottom, and a vintage t-shirt with a pair of worn-out vans, his hair styled messily. Zayn and Louis had plenty of classes together, both of them third-year English students and active members of the party scene.

“My boyfriend works here, just dropping him off. H, sun, this is my pal Zayn,” Louis grinned, pulling Harry closer to his side. Harry waved shyly and blushed as Zayn greeted him. He pecked Louis’ lips and went back behind the counter. Louis said his goodbyes before heading out, leaving Harry to get to know his new co-worker.


End file.
